Chauchilla Cemetery

Plundered and left asunder by grave robbers, this ancient necropolis has been painstakingly pieced back together.

SINCE 1997, PERUVIAN LAW HAS protected the haunting Chauchilla Cemetery, a Nazca burial ground where mummified corpses were laid to rest until the ninth century. Prior to 1997, it was ravaged mercilessly by Peruvian grave robbers. For many of these ancient corpses, it was the second time they lost their heads.

Mummies in Chauchilla Cemetery

Scattered among the many full-bodied mummies at Chauchilla Cemetery are a number of mummified heads. Many of the heads have been specially prepared with holes drilled into the backs of their skulls, and in some cases, rope has been threaded through the mummified head. This is possibly so they could be worn as a necklace or as a jaunty charm hanging off of a belt. Though originally believed to be “trophy heads” taken in battles, recent evidence shows that the heads actually came from the same population as the rest of the mummies, suggesting the heads may not have been taken in battle after all. The exact nature and use of the heads remain distinctly unclear.

Mummies and skulls from pre-Hispanic times at the desert cemetery of Chauchilla south of Nazca, Peru.

The nazca culture of Peru

Despite the fact that the burial grounds have not been utilized since the ninth century, the human remains are astoundingly well-preserved. The Peruvian Desert’s dry climate is, of course, a factor in the preservation, but burial practices also contributed to the condition of many of the corpses, some still hanging on to their hair and skin over 1200 years after their demise.

Chauchilla Cemetery skeleton

Clothed in cotton and painted with resin, the deceased were placed in mud-bricked tombs. Wooden posts that were once assigned by archeologists to the category of religious use are now thought to be drying posts for the dead, which would explain the added step needed for such an impressive example of mummification.

Chauchilla Cemetery skull

Mummies and archeological rest in the Cemetery of Chauchilla

Discovered in the 1920s, the remains and artifacts were spread across the area, picked over by nefarious pilferers. The burial ground has been restored to as close to its original state as possible, with the bones, bodies, heads, and artifacts either returned to tombs or showcased in displays. Awnings have been added to cover the tombs and prevent more sun damage.