Chauchilla Cemetery
Cementerio de Chauchilla
A desert necropolis of the Nazca culture, where the looted tombs hold seated mummies with long hair that has not decayed.
Chauchilla Cemetery lies in the desert about 30 km south of the city of Nazca. It was used roughly between AD 200 and 900. In the 20th century, grave robbers excavated it extensively. The scattered bones and pottery shards were later collected, and the seated mummies were reinterred in more than ten open tombs. They retain their long hair, textiles and burial goods, preserved remarkably well in the extremely dry environment. Shade shelters cover the tombs, and a walking path takes about an hour to visit. The last stretch is a dirt road, so it is usually reached by a half-day group tour or a hired car.
Opening hours
About 08:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Los Paredones
- Cerro Blanco
- Maria Reiche Planetarium
- Cantalloc Aqueducts
- Antonini Archaeological Museum
- Cahuachi
- Nazca Lines Overflight
- Nazca Lines Observation Tower