Chachapoya burial practices fell into four categories: house burials, cave burials, purunmachus (sarcophagi), and mausoleums. Only 2% of sarcophagi reach the elaborate 2.5m human-torso style. Sarcófagos de Laguna de los Condores, rediscovered in 1996, yielded over 200 intact mummy bundles with textiles, pottery, and art. Remarkable preservation.
Chachapoya mortuary traditions: sarcophagi, mausoleums, and 200+ mummies
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📍 Sarcófagos de Laguna de los Condores🌍 Show on the globe
Key facts
- Mortuary traditions fall into four types: house burials, cave burials, purunmachus (sarcophagi), and mausoleums
- Purunmachus were fashioned from clay, reed, wood, and stone; the most elaborate reach 2.5m and resemble human torsos, but only 2% of documented examples are this elaborate
- Mausoleums at Revash (Luya province) preserve original painted geometric and zoomorphic decorations on stone walls covered with mortar and wattle-and-daub
- Los Pinchudos mausoleums reach up to 4 meters in height with exterior friezes that retain original paint, located in Río Abiseo National Park
- Sarcófagos de Laguna de los Condores was rediscovered in 1996 by local workers who, finding no gold or silver, reported it to authorities
- Over 200 intact mummy bundles containing fine textiles, pottery, and art were recovered at Sarcófagos de Laguna de los Condores
Sources
docs.google.com
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Karajia | Carajia | Chachapoya Sarcophagiperunorth.com
Along with the fortress of Kuelap, the sarcophagi of Karajia are a real highlight of the Chachapoyas region and so included in the below PeruNorth itineraries.
The sarcophagi at Karajia: Highland guardiansperu.travel
Sarcophagi of Karajia ... Unreachable and perfectly aligned, like watchful birds on a high cliff, you will find the so-called “purunmachus”, or “wise men”; ...
The Strange Sarcophagi of the Chachapoyakuriositas.com
They knew that this was a purunmachu – the name given to the sarcophagi in which the Chachapoya would place their dead. It was an incredibly ...
Sarcophagi of Carajíaen.wikipedia.org
The sarcophagi are of a type particular to the Chachapoya called purunmachus. ... The Sarcophagi of Karajía consists of a group of seven sarcophagi. The ...
Karajia sarcophagaegochile.cl
Known as "purunmachos", the Karajía sarcophagi are tombs with more than 2 meters high and anthropomorphic body that will leave you speechless. Overview; Map.
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