Archaeologists discover 1,200-year-old mummified hairless dog in Peru

Peruvian hairless dogs are a distinctive Indigenous breed known for their slender bodies, pointed ears, and lack of fur. They frequently appear in pottery created by ancient societies along the Andean coast. Today, a variation of the breed is recognized by the American Kennel Club as the Peruvian Inca Orchid. The dogs are also an important national symbol, having been officially designated part of Peru's cultural heritage in 2000.

A study published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology reports the first physical evidence of Peruvian hairless dogs at Castillo de Huarmey, the only known Wari Empire site discovered so far on Peru's northern coast.

Ancient Dog Remains Discovered at a Wari Empire Site

Located approximately 190 miles north of Lima, Castillo de Huarmey covers 110 acres and once served as an administrative and burial center for the Wari Empire. The complex was occupied between 600 and 1050 CE, roughly 400 years before the Inca rose to power.

The site has already produced several extraordinary archaeological discoveries. In 2012, researchers uncovered the first undisturbed elite Wari tomb, containing the remains of 58 high-status women, six human sacrifices, and approximately 1,300 artifacts. Another important discovery followed in 2022, when archaeologists identified nearby burials of elite craftspeople accompanied by gold, silver, and bronze tools. Together, these findings have helped researchers understand how the Wari Empire governed its territories.

The newly examined dog remains offer a different perspective on daily life at the site, particularly the complicated relationships between people and animals.

"Our findings indicate that humans and dogs coexisted at this Wari site, but reconstructing their bond is challenging, as past emotions are difficult to capture through archaeological methods," says first author Weronika Tomczyk, a research associate in Dartmouth's Department of Anthropology and a postdoctoral fellow in its Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society Program.

"The goal of our study was to not only present data on Castillo de Huarmey's dog burials, but also emphasize that people in the past had often contradictory relationships with the animals, just as they do today: a pet for one group of people could at the same time be considered a pest by their closest neighbors."

Remarkably Preserved Dog Mummies Found in the Peruvian Desert

Castillo de Huarmey lies in an extremely dry region of Peru's Pacific coast. The desert's exceptionally arid conditions have helped preserve materials that would normally deteriorate over time, including hair, bones, clothing, leather, pigments, and decorated pottery.

Among the artifacts recovered from the site is an unusual ceramic vessel depicting a seated Peruvian hairless dog with humanlike features. The animal appears to be holding an object resembling a musical instrument.

Between 2010 and 2025, excavations also uncovered numerous remains of South American camelids, probably domesticated llamas and alpacas. Some may have been deposited as offerings during funerary ceremonies, while others appear to have been discarded as waste. Archaeologists also recovered the skeletal remains of dogs.

However, interpreting these discoveries has been complicated by extensive damage and looting. A powerful earthquake in 1970 caused part of Castillo de Huarmey to collapse, exposing burial chambers containing pottery and other valuable objects. Looters subsequently disturbed large sections of the complex.

The deeper archaeological layers remained untouched and retained their original Wari context. In contrast, the upper layers, where most of the animal remains were discovered, contained materials that had become mixed together.

During excavations in the northern section of the main ceremonial area, three sets of dog remains stood out.

One was a naturally mummified skull that still retained visible hairless skin and attached ears. The skull had also been colored with cinnabar, a bright red pigment commonly used in ancient Peruvian funerary traditions.

Researchers discovered a second, larger dog skull, along with the naturally mummified skeleton of a male dog buried in a shallow pit. The male skeleton was almost complete, missing only the lower portions of its front limbs.

At first, the researchers suspected that the mummified dog might have been buried relatively recently, perhaps around 50 years earlier during the period of looting. But Tomczyk noticed two important details: the animal was hairless, and all three dogs lacked their first premolars.

Missing Teeth Reveal the Dogs' Ancient Identity

The missing teeth provided an unexpected clue that helped researchers identify the animals.

"What I noticed is that some of the dog skeletons were missing teeth, and not that they lost them during their lifespan; some teeth, especially first premolars and sometimes last molars, had just never erupted," said Tomczyk. "And then I found in the literature that the same gene which is responsible for hairlessness in dogs is responsible for a reduced number of teeth, indicating that these were Peruvian hairless dogs."

In other words, the animals were not necessarily missing teeth because of injury, disease, or old age. Their reduced number of teeth was linked to the same genetic trait responsible for their hairlessness.

This distinctive biological connection offered evidence that the remains belonged to Peruvian hairless dogs rather than other ancient dog populations.

To investigate further, the researchers applied standard zooarchaeological techniques, which involve studying animal remains recovered from archaeological sites. These methods helped them estimate the ages of the dogs and examine their physical characteristics.

The team also analyzed chemical signatures preserved in the animals' bones and teeth. Known as isotopic analysis, this technique can reveal information about what an animal ate and drank, as well as where it may have lived.

The researchers examined isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium. These are different forms of chemical elements that can preserve clues about diet and environmental conditions. Strontium is particularly useful because its composition varies with local geology and can help scientists trace an animal's geographic origins or movements.

The results were compared with similar measurements from human and camelid remains recovered at Castillo de Huarmey.

"Isotopic analyses of a dog's tooth give a signal of its life as a puppy because dog teeth erupt so fast, and the bone gives a signal of more or less the last year of its life," said Tomczyk. "Such sampling strategy aimed to provide signals from distinct stages of a dog's life."

Ancient Puppies Buried Alongside Elite Members of Society

Altogether, the excavations produced 341 dog bone specimens representing at least 19 individual dogs, in addition to the complete mummified male dog.

Some of the remains were found in particularly intriguing burial contexts.

For example, the bones of a puppy estimated to have been just 6 to 8 weeks old were discovered alongside an elite craftsperson nicknamed the "Master Basketmaker." Other finds included the bones of an adult dog buried within the site's palace and part of a puppy skeleton buried with a male individual identified as XY, who was probably sacrificed to serve as a tomb guardian.

Most of the dogs were adults at the time of burial. However, their remains suggest that the animals did not all receive the same treatment.

Some appear to have been deliberately buried, potentially reflecting a special role in Wari society. Others were found among discarded materials. Only a small number of bones displayed butchery marks, suggesting that dogs were not commonly consumed as food.

Radiocarbon dating provided another important discovery. The complete mummified male dog was determined to be at least 1,200 years old, making it the oldest radiocarbon-dated specimen recovered from Castillo de Huarmey so far.

This result has important implications for understanding the site's chronology because it provides an additional dating reference for the ancient complex.

Ancient Hairless Dogs May Have Eaten Like Humans

The isotopic evidence also revealed surprising similarities between the diets of dogs and people living at Castillo de Huarmey.

Most of the dogs had consumed at least some maize, or corn, which was a major food source throughout the pre-Hispanic Andes. Their diets therefore overlapped with those of the human population.

An especially interesting pattern emerged among the dogs believed to have been hairless.

When these animals were puppies, their diets appeared more similar to those of human children. As they grew older, however, their food sources became more varied.

The findings raise the possibility that some puppies received particular attention or were raised under controlled conditions, potentially as part of an organized breeding practice.

"We do not know if the dogs were intentionally fed maize or if perhaps, they were just eating leftovers or trash," said Tomczyk. "Yet, the distinct dietary patterns of hairless puppies provide insights into what may have been organized breeding."

The researchers emphasize that the archaeological evidence cannot establish whether these dogs were cherished pets, working animals, or animals with other roles in Wari society.

Nevertheless, the differences in burial practices, physical characteristics, and dietary patterns suggest that the hairless dogs held a distinctive place within the community.

"While we will never know if any of the three dogs were pets or how people treated them, it is evident they received different treatment than other dogs," said Tomczyk.

The discoveries provide a rare glimpse into the lives of dogs and humans more than a millennium ago, showing that relationships with animals could be just as varied and complicated in ancient societies as they are today.

The study's co-authors include Miłosz Giersz, Wiesław Więckowski, and Roberto Pimentel Nita of the University of Warsaw, along with Claire Ebert of the University of Pittsburgh.