Maria
Remarkable Tridactyl Being
General Information
| Discovery Location: | Southern Peru |
| Estimated Age: | 1800 Years |
| Anatomical Features: | Three fingers on hands and feet, fingers and toes with 5 phalanges, presence of joints, body very well preserved with visible skin and partially visible fingerprints on hands and feet, no hair, no ear flap, higher cranial capacity than in humans |
| Size: | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Gender: | Female (Note: Recent DNA studies suggest Maria may be male, "Mario") |
Maria Front View Medical Scan
Maria Side View Medical Scan
Maria Feet Medical Scan
Maria Feet Medical Scan Side View
Maria Feet Medical Scan
Maria Multiple Medical Scan View
Dr. Mirko Tello Analyzes Maria's Hands and Feet
Professor Unnushka Malpartida Caviedes Presents Her Study on Maria's Elongated Cranium
Note: Please turn on CC for English subtitles.
Professor Unnushka Malpartida Caviedes presents her study on Maria's elongated cranium being natural, conducted at the University of Cusco.
Full Study on Maria's Feet and Cranium
Professor Unnushka Malpartida Caviedes presents her full study on Maria's elongated cranium and feet being natural, conducted at the University of Cusco.
Maria Videos
Videos courtesy of Todd Levesque (Independent contributor)
Media Gallery
Photos courtesy of Todd Levesque (Independent contributor)
Legal Aspects
The Ministry of Culture of Peru, through its Ica Decentralized Culture Directorate, released information on tomographic tests of the tridactyl mummies "MarÃa" and "Wawita" on April 9, 2025, in compliance with a transparency order. Below is the legal context and the published documents.
Compliance with Transparency Order
The Ministry of Culture, through its Ica Decentralized Culture Directorate (headed by VÃctor Eduardo Injante Tipismana), fulfilled a mandate from the Ministry’s Transparency and Access to Information Tribunal. This tribunal ordered the release of information regarding tomographic tests commissioned by the Ministry to Essalud (Social Health Insurance) in Ica, including both the reports and the images.
Scope of Data Released
The Ministry provided the following documents:
- Letter No. 000607-2025-DDC ICA/MC (dated April 9, 2025): This document responds to the request and includes a WeTransfer link (valid until April 10, 2025) to access the radiological images.
- Document No. 227-GRA-ICA-ESSALUD-2024 (dated November 20, 2024): This includes radiological reports prepared by Essalud radiologists Dr. Enrique Carlos Candia and Dr. Leonil Pickman Flores for the mummies Wawita and MarÃa.
The Ministry did not release the report from its cultural heritage specialists or the declaration of the mummies as cultural heritage, as these processes are still incomplete, per the Ministry’s statement.
Legal Context of Release
The release was legally mandated by the Transparency and Access to Information Tribunal, indicating that the Ministry was compelled to comply with Peru’s access-to-information laws. This suggests a formal request (likely by the article’s author or a related party) triggered the tribunal’s ruling. The Ministry’s action reflects adherence to legal obligations under Peruvian transparency laws, ensuring public access to government-commissioned scientific data.
Purpose of Release
The data was made available to enable further evaluation by medical professionals and scientists, as stated in the text. This aligns with the legal principle of fostering open scientific inquiry, particularly for artifacts potentially tied to Peru’s cultural heritage.
Key Facts
- Fact 1: Responds to the formal request for information on tomographic tests of MarÃa and Wawita.
- Fact 2: Includes a WeTransfer link (valid until April 10, 2025) to download radiological images, also available at the bottom of the page.
- Fact 3: Issued by the Ica Decentralized Culture Directorate on April 9, 2025.
Key Facts
- Fact 1: Contains detailed radiological reports from tomographic tests on MarÃa and Wawita.
- Fact 2: Prepared by Essalud radiologists Dr. Enrique Carlos Candia and Dr. Leonil Pickman Flores.
- Fact 3: Dated November 20, 2024, providing scientific data for further analysis.
Available DICOM Files
After the 2024 Ministry of Culture investigation of Maria and Wawita, our team successfully filed a transparency motion, approved by the courts. These are the original medical files from that study, along with files for Montserrat, Luisa, Alberto, Victoria. We provide them as received.
File Integrity Verification
Compare the SHA-256 hash provided with your downloaded file’s hash to confirm its authenticity. Maria and Wawita files (except those marked as UNICA) are available to everyone. Maria DICOM UNICA, Wawita DICOM UNICA, Montserrat, Luisa, Alberto, Paloma, Victoria files require an approved researcher account and agreement to citation conditions (or approved anonymity).
- Montserrat Part 1:99793871D54A41973ECE03AD4EA50A359EA7278B6A6C48CC9AA4C22BD9DF7371
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "Montserrat_part1.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 Montserrat_part1.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum Montserrat_part1.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
- Montserrat Part 2:14CCE0B6E015709A225AEC1BE84568A7EF983E10E0FA950D267704599C332653
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "Montserrat_part2.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 Montserrat_part2.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum Montserrat_part2.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
- Luisa DICOM:B47C9ACCC5ED012CC91455E2344ED4EE50AA42EC2F9EB37A582FE9E6B6F70E3B
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "Luisa_DICOM.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 Luisa_DICOM.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum Luisa_DICOM.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
- Alberto DICOM:FEBB2A71F362A9E9EF72ECD9C72194AFF4FE6CF1376613E358CB43B4C0FEAB71
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "Alberto_DICOM.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 Alberto_DICOM.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum Alberto_DICOM.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
- Maria - Tomography:9A3F5953B5A5DF38B61B97E40F36A8F0F2CA8CADE72CC12ED210A31F2EDA9441
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "maria_momia_tomografia.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 maria_momia_tomografia.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum maria_momia_tomografia.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
- Maria DICOM UNICA:14EC7F08A33CCE394996A28645F4AB78ABA265B88D1582809DCA98E83208729F
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "Maria_DICOM_UNICA.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 Maria_DICOM_UNICA.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum Maria_DICOM_UNICA.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
- Wawita - Abdominal Tomography:80C9F75F1377FC21740307CDDB1B4F4734104E37C11DB8E97ADF6C6DFAF1C0DD
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "momia_wawito_tomografia_abd_sc.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 momia_wawito_tomografia_abd_sc.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum momia_wawito_tomografia_abd_sc.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
- Wawita - Pelvimetry:2C8C657A6631056285676A975D31DFDF4F1EFBC6E526A58D3AA5DB1E6D194CAE
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "pelvimetria_wawito.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 pelvimetria_wawito.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum pelvimetria_wawito.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
- Wawita - Mummy:AF5737E3E7B3F5921C424C0C06EFB3E4FB13F3304C2AAF5166ACBB830C4F5210
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "wawito_momia.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 wawito_momia.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum wawito_momia.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
- Wawita DICOM UNICA:70CCA09D10809A52266B54DF19EE86781536F4D286560D89720A150AEF721DEA
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "Wawita_DICOM_UNICA.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 Wawita_DICOM_UNICA.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum Wawita_DICOM_UNICA.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
- Sebastian DICOM:B84F77A755952EF4BECBD18BCDEA57872803BDF39664EE8C4ADA51129E6C1CDE
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "DICOM HD - SEBASTIAN.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 DICOM HD - SEBASTIAN.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum DICOM HD - SEBASTIAN.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
- Santiago DICOM:FB8A806B20B0D7C0EB672B988C91E1A01D6D45B63299581E1C578EA8ED6B1D16
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "DICOM SANTIAGO.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 DICOM SANTIAGO.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum DICOM SANTIAGO.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
- Victoria DICOM:27F826ACF207AC72834F446EE8DFBF21CD241A9BB997F2D628B3F5CB90E3B090
Instructions by operating system:
- Windows: Use PowerShell:
Get-FileHash "DICOM - VICTORIA.zip" -Algorithm SHA256 - macOS: Use the terminal:
shasum -a 256 DICOM - VICTORIA.zip - Linux: Use the terminal:
sha256sum DICOM - VICTORIA.zip
cd "path\to\directory"(Windows) orcd /path/to/directory(macOS/Linux) before running the command. - Windows: Use PowerShell:
Note: Maria (UNICA), Wawita (UNICA), Montserrat, Luisa, Alberto, Paloma, Victoria DICOM files are only available to approved researcher accounts after submitting a request and agreeing to citation conditions (or having approved anonymity).
