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Faces of ancient mummies, hidden for centuries, finally revealed through digital reconstructions
By Andrea Margolis
Published October 10, 2025
Researchers recently unveiled the faces of ancient Colombians who lived hundreds of years ago.
Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in the United Kingdom announced in an August press release that specialists in its Face Lab were able to digitally extract face masks from corpses found in the Cordillera Oriental region of eastern Colombia.
The results were presented in August at the XI World Congress on Mummy Studies in Cuzco, Peru.
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Researchers analyzed four corpses that are held in the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History's (ICANH) collection.
The corpses spanned several centuries of Colombian history, from the 13th to the 18th centuries, the release noted.
Specialists at Liverpool John Moores University reconstructed the faces of four mummified individuals from the Cordillera Oriental region of Colombia. An example of their digital reconstruction is shown at right. (Daniel Romero/VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images; Face Lab, Liverpool John Moores University)
The earliest individual dates to around 1216, while the "newest" mummy is believed to have died around 1797.
The masks were made directly on the decedents' skulls, covering their jaw and face.
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Using volumetric CT reconstructions, X-ray diffraction and DNA analysis — among other methods — the team digitally removed funerary masks from the corpses and reconstructed their faces.
Photos show the four reconstructed faces and corresponding skull scans, revealing what the men may have looked like during their time on Earth.
The study spans five centuries of Colombian history, from about 1216 to 1797, researchers said. (Face Lab, Liverpool John Moores University)
Ancient Colombians crafted intricate funerary masks that were very realistic, according to LJMU.
"They crafted masks for their dead with such precision that the mummified bodies appear to be alive," the university said.
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"Masks were made of clay, waxes and resins but often contain gold or other decorative material, telling an untold story of the culture and technology of Eastern Colombia between the 13th and 17th centuries."
Researcher Jessica Liu told Fox News Digital the most surprising aspect of the project was the different shapes of the heads.
Researchers used advanced imaging to separate the funerary masks digitally, preserving the mummies' physical integrity. (Face Lab, Liverpool John Moores University)
"The four heads were quite different in sizes, and their crania were quite different in shape," she said.
"After the conference in Cuzco, we donated the 3D replicas to ICANH [and] they were very pleased with the results," added Liu.
Felipe Cárdenas-Arroyo said the funerary masks were crafted with "extraordinary workmanship." (Face Lab, Liverpool John Moores University)
Researcher Felipe Cárdenas-Arroyo of the Academia Colombiana de Historia said the masks were crafted using "extraordinary workmanship."
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"[They are], so far, the only ones known to exist in Colombia," he observed.
https://www.foxnews.com/travel/faces-ancient-mummies-hidden-centuries-revealed-digital-reconstructions