Chilean archaeologists have confirmed climate change is posing a significant threat to their mummy remains.
Archaeologist at the Chinchorro sites Jannina Campos told the Guardian that the frequent orange flags along the Atacama desert indicate damaged ancient remains due to the powerful winds and increased rain.
“Every time a body appears we place a flag, and we bury it again,” she said. “They’ve been preserved there for 7,000 years.”
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According to UNESCO’s website, The Chinchorro sites are home to an abundance of mummified skeletons where marine hunter-gatherers resided from approximately 5450 BCE to 890 BCE.
The sites also possess the oldest known mummification of bodies, with cemeteries that contain many buried loved ones covered in lion skins, clay, alpaca wool and wigs of human air, as reported by the Guardian.
And while some thought the hot desert climate would help preserve the mummies forever, extreme weather has left many remains exposed and damaged, which has led archaeologists covering them up again.
While providing a tour of the site, Campo pointed out a mummy reduced to bits of white fragments.
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“That’s the bones turning to dust,” she said.
Leading expert on the Chinchorro at the University of Tarapacá in Arica said that many mummies were deteriorating by sprouting mould while rotting and being attacked by insects.
“The museums are a bit overwhelmed with all this material,” he said.
The mayor of Camarones, a town in the Province of Atacama, Cristian Zavala said climate change must be addressed to help maintain these cultural and historic sites.
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“Look how many bodies are turning up,” he said. “If we don’t look after the Chinchorro, they’ll vanish because of climate change.”
However, there’s still a glimmer of hope to save the Chilean mummies, as just last year, The Chinchorro site was listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List to help protect the ancient practices of Chinchorro culture.
This year, construction will also begin for a new climate-controlled museum near Arica, which will cost around $19 million and prevent the mummies from disappearing.
But until the museum is unveiled, archaeologists continue to fight by reburying these remains as the humidity rises.
Charisa Bossinakis