Andean

"The bodies were so intact that they lacked neither hair, eyebrows, nor eyelashes. They were in clothes just as they had worn when alive"

Garcilaso de la Vega, the son of a Spanish conquistador captain and an Incan princess, 1609.

Mummy from Chacalluta , near Arica, Chile
On loan from the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney
Recent research indicates that this mummy is female and would have died between the ages of 25 - 35. She was about 148cm in height and probably lived during the Late Intermediate period (1000 - 1476). Examination of her bones indicates that she did not suffer from any major diseases although there is pitting on the roof of each eye socket that suggests she suffered from iron deficiency anaemia or a high parasite load. It is unclear how she died. She was mummified in a flexed position and would have been wrapped tightly with cloth bindings, the impressions of which are evident on her skin.

Composite cat scan courtesy of Estelle Lazer

The earliest evidence for mummification in the central Andean region of South America (parts of present-day Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador) dates back 9000 years. However, the origins of mummification are unclear. Most of the mummies found to date are naturally mummified but this region is also home to the oldest deliberately preserved mummies in the world - the Chinchorro mummies of northern Chile which date back about 7000 years ago.

Many different cultures lived in the Andean region and the treatment of the dead varied considerably. Deliberate mummification was practised by some cultures but many were preserved by assisting the body to mummify using the natural conditions.

In the Middle Horizon period (1400 to 1000 years ago) the dead were wrapped in a seated, upright position (with the knees at the face) within mummy bundles. The body was placed on a basket or gourd and then wrapped with fabric. The positioning of the body and the fabric bindings served to draw out the decomposing fluids of the body and, with the dry conditions, resulted in the mummification of the body. False heads and human hair wigs were often attached to the bundles.

This practice continued through the Late Intermediate period (1000-1476), with both fabric and rope bindings used for these bundles. The mummies were often buried with every day items such as ceramics, clothing and other tools and utensils.

During the Incan Empire (1476-1534) the Spanish recorded detailed accounts of the mummified bodies of Incan sovereigns being paraded through the streets. The mummified bodies of sovereigns were cared for by attendants and were exhibited during religious and state ceremonies.

Interactive Mummy (1.5 mb)

A close view of a Peruvian mummy. This requires the latest version of Macromedia Shockwave Player.

Grave Goods

Chimu culture ceramics were made during the Late Intermediate Period (1000-1476) where the practice of wrapping the deceased within a mummy bundle before burial was common. The Chimor kingdom extended from the river valleys of northern Peru to the central coast, and the ceramics occur across this large area. The ceramics are characteristically black in colour, which is the result of the technique of firing used in their manufacture. Vessels such as these were often placed in the grave with the deceased, along with other everyday items or items signifying wealth and prestige.