The Chinchorro mummies are the oldest artificially mummified human remains ever found — at least 2,000 years older than the Egyptian mummies. Created by the Chinchorro people, a coastal fishing culture that lived along the Atacama coast between roughly 7000 and 1500 BC, the mummies were discovered in and around Arica in northern Chile. In 2021, the Chinchorro sites were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Mummification
Unlike Egyptian mummification, which was reserved for elites, the Chinchorro mummified everyone — men, women, children, and even fetuses. The process evolved over millennia through several distinct techniques: black mummies (the oldest, with the skin stripped, skeleton reinforced with sticks, and covered in black manganese paste), red mummies (skin left on, internal organs removed and replaced with clay, painted in red ochre), and mud-coated mummies (the simplest, later technique).
Why a pre-ceramic fishing culture with no written language developed the world's most sophisticated preservation of the dead remains debated. The extreme dryness of the Atacama naturally preserved some bodies, which may have inspired intentional mummification. The practice suggests a complex relationship with death and ancestors that lasted over 4,000 years.
Where to See Them
Museo de Sitio Colon 10: In downtown Arica, this museum was built around a site where Chinchorro mummies were discovered during construction in 2004. Several mummies are displayed in situ — exactly where they were found, meters below the modern city. The museum is small but powerful. The preservation is remarkable — you are looking at 7,000-year-old human remains.
Museo Arqueologico San Miguel de Azapa: In the Azapa Valley, 12 kilometers from Arica. The most comprehensive collection of Chinchorro artifacts — mummies, tools, fishing equipment, textiles, and detailed explanations of the different mummification techniques. The museum covers the full sweep of pre-Columbian cultures in northern Chile, but the Chinchorro collection is the centerpiece.
The UNESCO Designation
The 2021 World Heritage inscription covers three sites: the Faldeo Norte del Morro de Arica (the cliff face where many mummies were found), the Museo Colon 10, and the Museo de Azapa. The designation recognized both the archaeological significance and the extreme antiquity of the practice — the Chinchorro began mummifying their dead around 5000 BC, roughly two millennia before the earliest Egyptian examples.
Practical Information
Museo de Sitio Colon 10: Central Arica, on Calle Colon. Small entry fee. Open Tuesday-Sunday. Allow 30-45 minutes.
Museo de Azapa: In the Azapa Valley, 12 km from Arica center. Take a colectivo (shared taxi) from Arica or drive. Larger museum, allow 1-2 hours. Small entry fee.
Best combined with: The Morro de Arica (the cliff above the city where many mummies were found, now a park and War of the Pacific museum) and the Azapa Valley's olive groves and agricultural landscape.