A Pre-Incan mummy has been discovered dumped at a rubbish site in Peru's ancient city Chan Chan. Workers found it after opening a cardboard box that had been tied up with rope, Reuters reports.

Chan Chan is the biggest pre-Colombian city in South America, built around 850 AD by the kingdom of Chimu. The city thrived until it was conquered by the Inca Empire in 1470.

However, sources within the Ministry of Culture told El Comercio that the mummy is probably pre-Hispanic in origin. "It's not a Chimu mummy," a source said.

David Carrasco, from municipal security at Huanchaco District, said: "[The mummy] was found by cleaners in the rubbish area which was in front of Chan Chan's entrance in a box.

"This box was wrapped in rope. [The cleaners] thought it was rubbish and put it in the compactor but one cleaner opened it up and discovered it was a mummy."

The mummy has now been taken to a local police station to find out how the ancient remains ended up there. It has been suggested the remains were stolen from the original burial location.

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