Oldest Mummies in the World

Whenever I think of mummies, I think of the great pharaohs of Ancient Egypt…or Boris Karloff. What doesn't spring to mind, however, are the mummies of South America. Turns out that the Chinchorro people were preserving their loved ones in the Atacama Desert of Chile a good two thousand years before the Egyptians ever thought to mummify their dead, and they were not particularly selective about who they preserved: they mummified everyone--men, women and children. First, they would cut off the flesh of the deceased, disembowel him or her, and remove the brain and soft tissue. Next, they would reinforce the skeleton by tying sticks to the bones, fill in the hollow cavity with a mixture of grass, ash and animal hair, and then reattach the skin. Then the entire body was covered in a paste made of ash and stained black with manganese. Finally, a clay mask with an elaborate wig of human hair was attached. Presto, the Chinchorro had a robust effigy which could be put out on display for guests or carried along if the tribe was on the move. I found these mummies in their stylized simplicity to be more beautiful, more thought-provoking, and more personal than any sarcophagus I saw in Egypt. Another solid documentary from the World Almanac Video line, this off-the-beaten-pyramid-trail look at Western hemisphere mummification, one of four titles in the Mummies and Pyramids: Egypt and Beyond series (series price: $99.95), is recommended. The other titles are: The Ultimate Guide to Pyramids, The Pyramid of Doom: An Ancient Murder Mystery and Desert Mummies of Peru. Study guides are available online at www.worldalmanacvideo.com. Aud: J, H, C, P. (J. Asala)