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Paracas Mummy Bundles

The Pacific Coast of Southern Peru's dry environment allows for the perseveration of organic materials when buried under the surface. Mummified human remains where found buried in a underground tomb in the Paracas peninsula of Peru, buried under layers of cloth textiles. The dead where wrapped in these layers of cloth deemed "mummy bundles". These bodies were found at the Great Paracas Necropolis along the South Pacific Coast of the Andes. Here at the Necropolis was a large communal tomb holding 420 bodies dating to around 300-200 B.C.E. The mummified bodies in the tomb where wrapped in textile fragments. The textiles would have taken a large number of man hours as each textile held a great amount of detail. The larger mummy bundles had elaborate embroidery detail with bright colored cloth. Jewelry and food where also found inside certain mummy bundles. The shape of the mummy bundles resembled a seed shape. According to Anne Paul, this shape of a seed could have been a conscious choice. The idea of these bundles being shaped like a seed and therefore, a symbolism of rebirth. Paul also suggests that due to the high detail of these textiles found in the mummy bundles and the high quality of fabric that these fabrics were used for ceremonial purposes. The technique used for these textiles called wrap and wrapping involves a piece of colored fleece  woven around pieces of cotton wrap threads before the weaving process. The colored fleece was dyed before the weaving process, mixed with the white cotton, this combination of materials show a trading relationships with lower and higher elevations. The example of this trade is seen as the wool came from camelids in the highlands (llama and alpaca) the cotton was grown in the warmer costal valley.

The imagery found on these textile included ceremonial practices and spiritual journeys. Some of this imagery depicted a fallen figure, possibly flying. Each figure appears to have face paint perhaps depicting different city states. Each figure also holds a severed head, also called trophy heads. Collected during battles victims heads were often severed and collected. The collect severed heads were used for spiritual rituals and often the head of a person was considered there life force, the place in the body were the sprit was located. It is believed the fallen or flying figure represents a spiritual journey. Perhaps showing a ruler priest on a spiritual journey or undergoing a type of spiritual transformation from the celestial world back to the terrestrial. Not only did these textiles show important symbols of the Paracas cosmology it is thought that these textile garments were worn to establish social standings, authority, and even indicating which Paracas city state one resided from. These garments where brightly colored including a palette of pinks, greens, yellows, red, purples, and whites all of which would have been striking against the beige desert sands of the surrounding environment.

These bright colors are another example of the extensive labor used to create these textiles. The dyes used come from across the Andes and are an example of reciprocity, as people from different altitudes are trading with one another for different goods. The color red comes from the Cochineal bug found on the Prickly Pear Cactus. The Cochineal is ground up with mortar and pestle in order to create a red pigment. To create yellow dyes can be made through the Qolle tree and Quico flowers, while orange dyes can be extracted from a type of moss called Beard Lichen. For the color green the most common plant used is the Cg'illca mixed with a mineral called collpa. While blues are created from a Tara, the deeper a hue of blue the more the mineral collpa is too added to the Tara which is a plant with pea like pods. Each dye can take up to 2 hours to boil and dye while the dye making process can take up to several hours.

The historical findings of these textiles and jewelry found in the tombs and mummy bundles also prompted looters. Once discovered, the Paracas Necropolis was looted heavily between the years 1931 and 1933, particularly in the Wari Kayan section. The amount of stolen materials is not known; however, Paracas textiles began being seen on the international market in the following years. It is believed the majority of Paracas textiles outside of the Andes are thought to be smuggled items. Due to a lack of protection laws of illegal smuggling thefts continued to increase particularly in South American artifacts. In 1970 UNESCO created the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.