Bolivia returns ancient mummy to Peru

Bolivian authorities on Tuesday returned to Peru the ancient mummy of a young girl that was intercepted by police as it was about to be illegally shipped to France.

The mummy, which dates from between the years 1200 and 1450, was discovered in October 2010 when a Bolivian citizen was attempting to send a box to the French city of Compiegne to be then presumably sent to an auction house, Peru's Ministry of Culture said in the statement.

When authorities opened the box they found the mummified remains of a girl approximately two years old in a fetal position. The child's body was wrapped in five layers of cotton and wool fabric, and experts said she likely lived among people who lived centuries ago on Peru's southern coast.

Bolivian Cultures Minister Pablo Groux Canedo handed over the mummy to Peruvian counterpart Luis Peirano at an event at Peru's foreign ministry.

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