Chinchorro Culture

The Settlement and Artificial Mummification of the Chinchorro Culture comprises three locations along the arid Pacific coast of Chile.
The Chinchorro who lived here between 6000 and 2000 BC mainly relied on fishing. They are known for their detailed mummification technique; some 282 mummies have been recovered, spanning not only the elite but all members of society.
Map of Chinchorro Culture
Load mapSite Info
- Full Name
- Settlement and Artificial Mummification of the Chinchorro Culture in the Arica and Parinacota Region
- Unesco ID
- 1634
- Country
- Chile
- Inscribed
- 2021
- Type
- Cultural
- Criteria
-
3 5
- Categories
- Archaeological site - Pre-Columbian
- Link
- By ID
Site History
2021 Advisory Body overruled
ICOMOS advised Referral
2021 Inscribed
Site Links
Unesco Website
Settlement and Artificial Mummification of the Chinchorro Culture in the Arica and Parinacota Region
Official Website
In the News
Connections
The site has 22 connections
Constructions
Damaged
Affected by Climate Change: The Atacama's dry weather has helped preserve the Chinchorro mummies for thousands of years, but some have rapidly deteriorated in the past decade, their skin melting into black ooze. According to Harvard scientists, climate change is causing microorganisms to attack the mummies' collagen. Stronger El Niño currents are behind the region's increasing humidity, meaning the mummies are endangered whether they're in a museum or buried in the desert.
Ecology
Geography
History
Sieges and Battles: The Morro del Arica was the site of the battle in which Chile captured Arica from Peru during the War of the Pacific in June 1880.
Archaeological 'Type Sites': The Chinchorro type site is located in Arica, Chile; it was discovered by German archaeologist Max Uhle in the early 20th century.
Human Activity
Individual People
Science and Technology
Recorded cultural discoveries: The Chinchorro type site is located in Arica, Chile; it was discovered by German archaeologist Max Uhle in the early 20th century. He excavated nearly a hundred individuals during the twenties.