Would like to compare Chinchorro mummies to those of ancient Egypt for my 4th grade social studies fair project but can't find much info on the Chinchorro mummies. Can you suggest sources to check for my age group?

Dr. dig responds:
There are some wonderful articles, websites and books about these most fascinating mummies. The Chinchorro mummies have been found near the border of present day Peru and Chile along the Pacific coast.

The Chinchorros may have been the first people in the world to practice the art of mummification. They preserved their dead from about 5000 B.C. long before the ancient Egyptians mummified their dead!

The best book on the Chinchorro's that I have found is called Beyond Death, by Bernardo Arriaza. You will find articles about the Chinchorro mummies in the January/February issue of Archaeology Magazine, and in the December 1998 issue of Discover Magazine (article by Heather Pringle).

You will also want to go to www.jamesmdeem.com/chinchorro.htm on the Web for a handy and well-written summary of the Chinchorro and their mummies. You will also find on the Web an article by Bernardo Arriaza, entitled "Making the Dead Beautiful: Mummies as Art," which is a more grown-up article about the Chinchorros, but perhaps Mom can read it and summarize the most interesting points.