The woman, whose skull is displayed, was buried in the central chamber located within the northeastern portion of the tomb. She died at the approximate age of 60. Her petite body (she was no more than 1.5 m tall) was placed in a sitting position, wrapped in textiles. Around her a large amount of pottery vessels and baskets full of weaving equipment were deposited, along with her personal belongings. Her skull not only gives up her age, but also tells us a little about her life. Robust facial composition, powerful muscle attachments on the mandible and the dome of her skull are quite typical for the andean women. During her life span she lost most of her teeth, perhaps due to a diet rich in carbohydrates. Carries can be seen on the preserved molars. In the crown of a molar on the left half of her upper jaw, carries had caused an inflammation leading to an abscess and a fistula. It must have been quite bothersome and painful. Scanning of the skull that recorded not only its shape, but also all the muscle attachments, allowed for designing and printing out a model. Basing on it the woman’s face was reconstructed, and so now we can look in the eyes of a Wari queen from over a thousand years ago. Pathological changes in her spinal area, as well as in the main joints of her arms and hands, indicate that her principal occupation during the majority of her life was spinning wool and weaving textiles.
Wiesław Więckowski