Archaeologists discovered in Peru the skull of a baby with cyclopia, 1,600 years old, in a tomb of the Nasca culture

Archaeologists have discovered, in an ancient cemetery in Jauranga, southern Peru, the skull of a baby who suffered from cyclopia, a severe developmental anomaly. The remains were found in a tomb approximately 1,600 years old, alongside the skeleton of another child; they had been buried together in a ceramic vessel.

The discovery provides rare evidence that this condition also existed among ancient populations in South America. The child’s skull had a single eye socket in the center of the forehead, an absence of nasal bones and nostrils, as well as other changes consistent with cyclopia. The bones were well preserved and remained in their natural anatomical position.

DNA analysis showed that both infants were girls and were not maternally related. The affected child had an extra copy of chromosome 13, an abnormality associated with Patau syndrome, which can cause severe malformations of the brain, face and heart.

The burial took place between 325 and 440 AD, during the period of the Middle Nasca culture. Researchers say the two children were subjected to the same funerary practices, indicating that established rituals were observed regardless of their physical condition. However, the study cannot establish whether the anomaly influenced how the child was cared for or perceived during her lifetime.