Dating back 7,000 years, the Chinchorro mummies are at risk of destruction due to human activity and climate change.
The cemetery in the Atacama Desert, where the ancient Chinchorro decorated and buried their mummies, is increasingly affected by climate change.
The cemetery stretches across hills belonging to the Chinchorro, an ancient civilization of hunters and fishermen known for their meticulous mummification practices. After removing the skin and internal organs, the Chinchorro wrapped the skeletons in reeds, sea lion skin, clay, camelids’ fur, and human hair. Notably, the Chinchorro mummified everyone regardless of status, including infants who died in the womb. They believed that the desert’s dry and hot climate would preserve the mummies indefinitely. However, their cemetery is increasingly impacted by unusual weather related to the climate crisis, causing many mummies to be exposed.
Chinchorro mummy at the San Miguel de Azapa museum in northern Chile. (Photo: Chilean Ministry of Culture).
Archaeologist Jannina Campos walks along the sandy hillside in Arica, a port city on the edge of the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth. On the hillside, dozens of orange flags were placed last December. Each flag marks a set of exposed bones revealed by unusually strong winds and increased rainfall. “Every time a mummy is uncovered, we place a flag and re-bury the skeleton. These remains have been preserved here for 7,000 years,” Campos shared.
Archaeologists face a dilemma: should they try to save everything they can, or simply re-bury the remains and focus on preserving and studying the excavated mummies? According to Bernardo Arriaza, a leading expert on Chinchorro civilization at the University of Tarapacá in Arica, museums are overwhelmed.
Increased humidity in Atacama is destroying mummies in the collections. Some mummies are moldy, others are dry-rotting, or infested with insects. The combination of diverse wrapping materials makes it difficult for researchers to establish suitable storage conditions. At a museum near the hillside, Campos points to dozens of Chinchorro mummies, surrounded by white debris. “There is no magic solution. The bones are gradually turning to dust,” Claudio LaTorre, a paleoecologist at the Catholic University of Chile, stated. Besides the mummies, other ancient remnants in the desert may also vanish.
“Human-induced climate change is what truly worries us, as it will alter many aspects that shape the desert today”, LaTorre explained. As mummies are exposed, sometimes due to human construction of roads or buildings, degradation begins due to weather conditions.
The Chinchorro mummies were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list last July after 20 years of application. A new $19 million air-conditioned museum project is being constructed this year near Arica, and the increasing attention may help prevent the mummies from disappearing.
The Chinchorro mummies have existed for thousands of years. (Photo: CBS News).
The Chinchorro mummies are the oldest known examples of intentional mummification, dating back 5,000 years BCE, over two millennia earlier than Egyptian mummies. The Camarones River valley, located in the desolate desert, may have attracted the first Chinchorro settlers. However, the river also contains 1,000 micrograms of arsenic per liter, which is 100 times the safe level for humans. Each time the Chinchorro drank water, they inadvertently poisoned themselves, according to hair sample analyses. As a result, they also experienced high rates of miscarriage and stillbirth. Many children were mummified and adorned with masks carved from black manganese.
Researchers hope the Chilean government can better protect the mummies. “Just look at how many remains are surfacing. If we do not take care, the Chinchorro mummies will disappear due to climate change,” Cristian Zavala, the mayor of Arica, stated.
Arriaza is working to raise awareness about the mummies in hopes that this will aid in their preservation. “It is a significant challenge because you need resources. Collective efforts towards a common goal will help preserve the site and the mummies,” Arriaza shared.
