Day 30, 06.11. Nazca: The Necropolis of Chauchilla

The time in Nazca until sunset, and thus also for our bus departure, was limited. My driver suggested visiting the Necropolis of Chauchilla and the aqueducts of Cantalloc.

The Necropolis of Chauchilla is located about 30 km south of Nazca and serves as a cemetery of the ancient Nazca culture. The deceased were not buried here but instead were placed in open pit graves facing west. The air is so dry here that natural mummification occurs.

The sight of these mummies is not necessarily suitable for sensitive individuals.

Here is a quote from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauchilla_Cemetery):

“... Several opened individual and family graves can be visited. In the graves, which are only protected by light roofs, there are mummies, human bones, and archaeologically insignificant remains of grave goods. All valuable finds have been stolen or moved to museums.

The dead were wrapped in cotton threads and treated with resin. They were then buried in pits lined with adobe bricks. The extreme arid climate of the Peruvian coastal desert allowed for the preservation of the mummies. In the exhibited mummies, grave robbers ripped off the cotton wrappings around the upper body to gain access to clothing and jewelry, and in the process, the heads were often severed. The heads could often no longer be clearly identified with the bodies. Some mummies have heads made of cotton. There are theories suggesting that the heads were severed during a sacrifice and stored elsewhere. For the mummification, the bodies may have received replacement heads to complete them. ...”.