Nazca in Peru - People from past emerge as ghosts at Chauchilla Cemetery!

Photo. Apart from the Nazca Lines there's another, quite bisarre place in Nazca; the Chauchilla desert cemetery some 30 kms out of town.

The Nazca culture flourished in Peru from about 200 AD to 800 AD. One of the common aspects of the pre-Inca and the Inca culture is that they created civilizations in very inhospitable places, like inaccessible high Andes Mountains or living in the middle of the desert. It`s a mystery in itself!

In the amazing Chauchilla Cemetery, bodies from the ancient Nasca people were preserved by natural mummification in the arid climate. It`s in contrary to the old Egyptians who used artificial mummification.

The way of burying people this ancient culture left to us mummies, ceramics, colorful textiles, skulls and devices, and as far I could see: practically untouched!

Walking around the Chauchilla cemetery was a pretty scary experience; the extreme dry and sunny climate had preserved some of the corpses and body parts in a remarkable way, some with pieces of clothing and braided hair intact, and there were bones, sculls and corpses as shown on the photo. The mummified body looked like ghosts. It`s like they were sending a message from the past. Sometimes I felt they very starring directly towards me. I hoped they understood that the last thing I would like do is to disturb them.

For me one thing stood clear: let these people rest in peace!

Stein Morten Lund, 21 April 2004

Additional information

Read more on our website about great mysteries from Peru:

The spectacular Lineas de Nazca in Peru are giant drawings of animals and geometric figures in the desert sands of Pampa de San José near Nazca. They are believed to be created around 300-700 BC. Who made them and what was the purpose?

Some facts about the country:
- Formal country name: Republic of Peru.
- Area: 1.28 million sq km.
- Population: 28 million.
- People : 54% Indian, 32% Mestizo (mixed European and Indian descent), 12% Spanish descent, 2% Black, Asian minority
- Language: Aymara, Quechua, Spanish; Castilian. - Religion: Over 90% Roman Catholic, small Protestant population.
- Government: constitutional republic.

Read more about Peru on our website:
- The ancient Inca capital of Cuzco.
- Explore the lost city of Machu Picchu.
- Experience the country`s beautiful scenery, the Peruvian Andes.
- Visit home to some of the millions of highland Indians who still speak the ancient tongue of Quechua and maintain a traditional way of life.
- Get an adventure of life in the Amazon Basin, which occupies half of Peru. Look up for the puma!