Chinchorro

Chinchorro refers to an ancient coastal culture of northern Chile, best known for producing some of the oldest artificially mummified remains in the world. The tradition is centered in the Arica region along the Pacific coast, where archaeological sites yield remains spanning roughly 7000 BCE to 1500 BCE, with the height of mummification practices between about 5000 BCE and 1000 BCE.

The Chinchorro people inhabited coastal areas and relied on fishing, shellfish gathering, and other maritime resources. Settlement patterns and funerary practices suggest a relatively sedentary lifeway, with organized burial customs that played a central role in their social and ritual life.

Mummification techniques were distinctive and highly elaborated. Bodies were often carefully treated to preserve them, involving removal or partial removal of soft tissues, drying, and replacement with mixtures such as clay, plant fibers, and resins. Skulls were sometimes reconstructed or reinforced, and some mummies were covered or adorned in ways that reflect ritual significance. Infants and children are especially notable in the archaeological record for their well-preserved remains, illustrating the depth and longevity of these mortuary practices. Mummies were placed in cemeteries, frequently in groups that suggest organized communal burial rites.

Significance: The Chinchorro mummies predate Egyptian mummies by several millennia, providing crucial evidence about early mortuary practices, social organization, and maritime adaptation in prehistoric South America. The culture and its mummies have been the subject of extensive archaeological study and are regarded as an important part of Chilean and Andean prehistory. Discovery and subsequent excavations along the Arica coast have been central to our understanding of this tradition.