Inca Graves at the Chauchilla Cemetery

The graveyard had been used up to the ninth century, but even after being exposed to the elements by grave robbers that ravaged the site, the extremely dry desert climate mummified the bodies and preserved them. Even after 1200 years in their graves, some of them still have skin and hair. UV bleached most of the colors from their cotton clothing and ceramics, When the cemetery had been discovered by archaeologists, the bodies and possessions were spread over the entire area. After long research they have been restored to their proper tombs. It is possible that there are still undiscovered graves in that area as well.

As in modern days in many places and cultures around the world, some of the graves were family tombs.

Quite possible, if those ropes were part of a headdress or decoration, that they were once brightly colored..

Note, the long hair.

There is a tiny museum on site with one body (the only item on display here) that had not been exposed to the environment and is housed in a temperature and moisture controlled enclosure. You can see that the hair, clothing, and ceramics are all in the original vibrant colors. I took this shot in nearly total darkness. We were pretty much out of daylight by the time we got to the museum. Still, I wanted to give it a try and the result was worth it. A long exposure revealed all of the colors and details.