The ancient mummies of northern Chile, recognized as the world’s most impeccably preserved by humans, have been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
This prestigious designation highlights the exceptional significance and global recognition of these remarkable mummies. The mummies, originating from various pre-Columbian cultures of the region, have captivated experts and researchers for their unparalleled state of preservation, providing invaluable insights into ancient civilizations and their burial practices.
The inclusion of these mummies on UNESCO’s World Heritage List not only acknowledges their scientific and cultural importance but also emphasizes the need for their protection and preservation for future generations. This recognition serves as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of northern Chile and its contribution to our understanding of the past.
As these ancient mummies continue to astound and fascinate experts, their newfound status as a UNESCO World Heritage site ensures their legacy will endure, allowing us to delve even deeper into the mysteries of the past and appreciate the incredible achievements of our ancient ancestors.
The mummies, discovered at the start of the 20th century, are more than 7,000 years old, predating the famous mummies of Egypt by some 2,000 years.
During the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Fuzhou, China, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially added the “settlement and artificial mummification of the Chinchorro culture” to the prestigious list of World Heritage sites.
This significant recognition highlights the exceptional cultural and scientific value of the Chinchorro mummies. The Chinchorro culture, which thrived along the coast of what is now Chile and Peru, practiced intricate and intentional mummification techniques, making their mummies among the oldest in the world.
The inclusion of the Chinchorro mummies on the World Heritage list acknowledges their outstanding universal significance and the need to safeguard and preserve this unique cultural heritage. It also sheds light on the remarkable achievements and complex rituals of the Chinchorro civilization, providing valuable insights into ancient mortuary practices and the cultural diversity of early human societies.
This momentous addition to the World Heritage list not only celebrates the legacy of the Chinchorro people but also encourages further research, conservation, and appreciation of their extraordinary mummification traditions, ensuring that their rich cultural heritage endures for generations to come.
“UNESCO’s validation at the international level, through different experts, that the settlements and artificial mummification of the Chinchorro culture has exceptional value, that it has a global importance,” Chilean anthropologist Bernarda Arriaza told AFP.
The statement emphasizes the global recognition and significance of the Chinchorro culture’s settlement and artificial mummification practices. The validation from UNESCO further affirms the exceptional value and impact of these cultural traditions.
Bernarda Arriaza, a renowned Chilean anthropologist, highlighted the importance of this validation, underscoring the global implications and significance of the Chinchorro mummification practices. The recognition by UNESCO solidifies the exceptional cultural heritage of the Chinchorro civilization and its contributions to our understanding of ancient civilizations.
This validation serves as a testament to the exceptional nature of the Chinchorro mummies and their cultural practices, further cementing their place in world history and encouraging continued research and preservation efforts.
According to a statement on the UNESCO website, the sites associated with Chinchorro mummification have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. These sites include El Morro de Arica and Colón 10, both in Arica and Parinacota Region in Chile, as well as Desemboque de los Ríos in the Camarones Valley, located about 60 miles south.
The Chinchorro were fishermen and hunter-gatherers who lived in southern Peru and northern Chile over 7,000 years ago. These sites are closely linked to their mummification practices, which are unique to the region of Arica and have now been recognized by UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The inclusion of these sites on the list acknowledges their outstanding universal value and cultural significance, particularly within the context of the Americas. It highlights the exceptional nature of the Chinchorro mummification practices and their importance in understanding ancient civilizations in the region.
This recognition by UNESCO brings global attention to the cultural heritage of the Chinchorro and emphasizes the need for their preservation and continued research. It contributes to the appreciation and protection of these archaeological sites and the unique insights they provide into the early development of human societies in the Americas.
They bear testimony to a culture of maritime hunter-gatherers who settled in the arid and hostile coastal desert of northern Chile from around 5450 BC to 890 BC. The sites associated with the Chinchorro mummies of northern Chile, which represent the oldest known artificially mummified bodies in the world, have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The property presents the oldest and most complex evidence of artificial mummification of bodies with cemeteries that contain artificially mummified bodies and some that were naturally preserved due to environmental conditions. UNESCO acknowledged the exceptional scientific evidence of the artificial mummification of bodies with ceremonies that encompassed artificially mummified bodies and some that were preserved due to extraordinary conditions.
This recognition highlights the cultural and historical importance of the Chinchorro mummies and their significance in the understanding of ancient civilizations. The inclusion of these sites on the World Heritage List contributes to their preservation and promotes further research into the practices and beliefs of the Chinchorro culture.
The preserved corpses of the Chinchorro mummies exhibit material, sculptural, and aesthetic qualities that are presumed to reflect the fundamental role of death in Chinchorro society. Tools made of minerals and plant materials have also been discovered at the sites, as well as simple implements made of bone and shells “that enabled an intensive exploitation of marine resources.”
Analysis of bone chemistry and hardened shell piles suggest that around 90 percent of the Chinchorro’s diet was based on marine resources. A thick layer of black hair was sewn onto the scalp, and the corpses were painted red or black. Besides seeming to represent the most important religious attempts, leading some experts to believe mummification was a means for parents and families to give their stillborn infants an afterlife death.
The Chinchorro mummies are considered the oldest in the world known to have been purposefully preserved by humans. Corpses were typically painted red or black—using hematite, pigments, manganese, and iron oxide.
So far, more than 300 Chinchorro mummies have been uncovered, including red, black, and bandaged ones.
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