Settlement and Artificial Mummification of the Chinchorro Culture in the Arica and Parinacota Region

The Settlement and Artificial Mummification of the Chinchorro Culture is a series of prehistoric coastal burial sites in the Arica and Parinacota Region of northern Chile notable for the Chinchorro culture’s practice of artificial mummification. The property illustrates some of the earliest known deliberate human mummification.

The sites are associated with the Chinchorro culture, a prehistoric coastal population that developed specialized burial and mummification practices long before similar techniques appeared elsewhere. The remains and burial contexts preserved at these coastal sites show continuity and technical complexity in mortuary tradition across centuries.

The sites are distributed along the Pacific coast in the Arica y Parinacota Region of northern Chile, in the coastal landscape around the city of Arica and nearby coastal settlements.

• Oldest artificial mummies: These mummies are the oldest known examples of deliberate, artificial mummification anywhere in the world.
• Local museum collections: Many of the best-preserved finds and research collections are held in museums in and around the city of Arica, where lines of study and conservation continue.

• Start your exploration in Arica's museums (notably the Museo Arqueológico San Miguel de Azapa and the Museo de Sitio Colón 10) where Chinchorro mummies and conserved material are displayed and explained before visiting field sites.
• Many Chinchorro settlements and archaeological loci are remote and fragile-join a specialist guided outing rather than attempting to visit isolated sites independently to ensure access and site protection.
• If you plan to travel between sites in the desert/valley, schedule outings for early morning to avoid peak desert heat when roads and walking/transfers are most uncomfortable.