The Chinchorro mummies are preserved human bodies from the Chinchorro culture in what is now northern Chile. These mummies are the oldest known examples of human remains that were intentionally preserved by people. They were buried up to 2,000 years before the first Egyptian mummies. The earliest Egyptian mummy found dates to about 3000 BC, while the oldest Chinchorro mummy dates to about 5050 BC.

A naturally preserved body linked to the Chinchorro culture was discovered in the Atacama Desert and is dated to around 7020 BC.

Studies of shell middens and bone chemistry show that about 90% of the Chinchorro people’s diet included seafood. Many ancient fishing communities lived in the dry river valleys of the Andes, but the Chinchorro culture stood out because they carefully preserved the bodies of the dead.

In 2021, the Chinchorro settlements and the artificial mummification process in Arica and Parinacota were recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Chinchorro mummification

The Chinchorro people, who lived a long time ago, mummified all members of their society, not just important people. This made their mummies very important to archaeologists. They treated everyone equally, including children, elderly people, and even babies who were born before they could live. Often, children received the most detailed mummification.

About 29% of Chinchorro mummies were naturally preserved, meaning the dry environment helped their bodies stay intact. The oldest known naturally preserved mummy, called the Acha man, dates back to 7020 BC.

Artificial mummification by the Chinchorro began around 5000 BC and was most common between 3000 BC and 2000 BC. People removed the internal organs and replaced them with materials like plant fibers or animal hair. In some cases, the skin and flesh were removed and replaced with clay. The oldest artificial mummy found was a child from the Camarones Valley in Chile, dating to about 5050 BC. Chinchorro mummies were made until about 1800 BC, around the same time as other ancient cultures in South America.

Since 1914, archaeologists have found about 282 Chinchorro mummies. At a site called Morro-I, 96 bodies were found, including 54 adults and 42 children. The number of males, females, and children was similar, suggesting the Chinchorro did not prefer mummifying one group over another.

Some believe the mummies helped the soul of the dead person survive and kept the body from scaring the living. Another idea is that the Chinchorro honored ancestors by carrying the mummies during rituals and placing them in special positions. The mummies were often decorated with colors and made stiff so they could be carried on reeds. However, since the Chinchorro society was not fully settled and did not use pottery, it is hard to know for sure why they mummified their dead.

The genetic background of the Chinchorro people has been studied, and their mitochondrial haplogroup is known as A2.

Dr. Bernardo Arriaza, a Chilean scientist, studied Chinchorro mummies and created a system to classify them. His book, Beyond Death: The Chinchorro Mummies of Ancient Chile, was published by the Smithsonian Institution.

Even though the way the Chinchorro mummified their dead changed over time, some steps stayed the same. Archaeologists found that the skin and organs were often removed, bones were reinforced with sticks, and the body was stuffed with plant material. The mummy was then covered in clay, wrapped in reeds, and left to dry for 30 to 40 days.

Max Uhle, an early archaeologist, divided mummification into three types: simple, complex, and mud-coated. Later, scientists added more types, such as natural, black, red, and bandage mummies. Chinchorro mummies are sometimes called reconstructed mummies because their bodies were put back together after being taken apart.

In northern Chile, the dry and salty environment helped bodies preserve naturally. The soil and desert conditions dried the bodies quickly, preventing decay. Even without artificial mummification, the Chinchorro wrapped their dead in reeds and placed items with them in the grave.

The black mummy technique (5000–3000 BC) involved removing the body’s skin and organs, drying the bones with heat, and reassembling the body. The bones were covered with a paste made of ash, grass, and soil. The skin was refitted, and sometimes a wig of black hair was added.

The red mummy technique (2500–2000 BC) used incisions to remove internal organs and dry the body. The head was removed to take out the brain, and the skin was replaced with a clay mask. The body was filled with materials to restore its shape, and a wig made of long human hair was added. The body and wig were painted red.

The final mummification style, called the mud-coated method (3000–1300 BC), used clay to cover the body. This helped preserve the mummy and hide its smell. The clay allowed artisans to create colorful designs on the mummies.

Tattooing

At least one Chinchorro mummy provides important evidence about the ancient history of tattooing in the region. The bones of a man (Mo-1 T28 C22) show a dotted line tattoo above his upper lip, similar to a mustache. This mummy is about 3,800 to 4,100 years old, dating to around 1880 BCE. Scientists believe this is the oldest clear proof of tattooing in the Americas and the fourth-oldest such proof in the world.