The Egyptians are famous for their mummies. However, they were not the first to discover the art of embalming.
That honor goes to the Chinchorro people of the Atacama Desert in Chile. As far back as 7,000 years ago, they developed techniques to preserve the bodies of the deceased.
The Oldest Mummies
The Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth, is home to the oldest mummies in the world. The first Egyptians appeared around 3150 BC, while the Chinchorro people emerged around 7000 BC and began perfecting their embalming techniques around 5000 BC.
According to Bernardo Arriaza, a physical anthropologist at the University of Tarapacá, “The Chinchorro were the first people to inhabit northern Chile and southern Peru. They explored the Atacama Desert.”
In the regions of Arica and Parinacota, hundreds of Chinchorro remains dating from approximately 5450 BC to 890 BC have been discovered. In 2021, this cemetery was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list due to its significant archaeological value.
The first mummies in the world were not created by the Egyptians. (Photo: NatGeo).
These mummies not only reveal the embalming and burial practices of an ancient culture but also provide insights into the social structure and spiritual beliefs of that community. Unlike in Egypt, where mummification was reserved for the elite, mummification among the Chinchorro was a practice available to everyone, akin to a ritual for the deceased.
Mauricio Uribe, an archaeologist at the University of Chile, explains that the Chinchorro preserved the bodies of their loved ones to offer them eternal life. For the Egyptians, embalming was linked to the belief in a transition to another world.
Disappearing Customs
The Chinchorro survived through fishing and hunting-gathering. They lived near the Camarones River, an area with high arsenic levels. Arsenic is a highly toxic substance found in groundwater or deep underground, which caused many poisoning incidents among the ancient Chinchorro.
Bernardo Arriaza notes that the early Chinchorro communities settled near the Camarones River suffered from chronic arsenic poisoning, leading to high perinatal mortality rates (fetal death).
The grief and desire to prolong the life of their loved ones inspired them to develop embalming techniques. In fact, the first mummies of the Chinchorro (dating from 5000 to 3000 BC) were often children, fetuses, and infants. Their organs were removed and replaced with clay and other materials.
Arsenic caused chronic poisoning among the early Chinchorro. (Photo: CGTN).
This practice developed and persisted until 890 BC. The mummies were not limited by age; they were all noted to be “extremely complex and akin to works of art.”
A 2017 study from the University of Chile indicated that the Chinchorro exhibited genetic adaptations over time, especially in areas with high arsenic levels.
The results showed that 68% of the current population in Camarones carries a variant of the AS3MT enzyme in their genome, allowing them to eliminate arsenic more efficiently through urine.
The high adaptation to arsenic may also help explain the gradual disappearance of Chinchorro mummification practices into the 1st millennium BC.
How the Chinchorro Embalmed
There are two popular techniques known as “black mummification” and “red mummification.” The first technique appeared between 5000 BC and 3000 BC.
According to Mummipedia, the ancient Chinchorro would dismember the head, arms, and legs of the deceased, removing the internal organs. The body was then heated by inserting hot coals into the hollowed-out torso.
Next, they would dry the flesh away from the bones. The skull would be cut in half, filled with various materials, and then sewn back together. The hollow body was stuffed with animal fur, plant fibers, clay, and covered with a layer of ash and black manganese.
Finally, they would place a wig and a black mask on the mummy.
The Chinchorro mummies were stuffed with various materials. (Photo: CGTN).
The “red mummification” technique developed around 2500 BC. The main difference is that they did not dismember the body, except for the head to remove the brain. They would then cut open the abdomen and shoulders to remove the remaining organs and allow them to dry.
Similar to the black mummification, these mummies were also stuffed to maintain their original shape. Finally, they were sewn closed to create a complete mummy and coated with a layer of red ochre.
