Existing comment:
Tomb With A View:
Who: Ancient Peruvians
When: AD 1,000 - 1,500
Where: Central Andes, South America
What: Seated upright in wakeful posture, bodies of the dead were wrapped with cotton cloth and placed in burial houses or special caves. The dry, cold air of the highlands rapidly mummified the bodies. Between one and 100 corpses were placed in each mortuary locale, and the entryway sealed.
Why: Religious beliefs considered the dead as messengers between the world of the living and the world of the spirits. The living cared for the dead and, in return, the dead brought well-being and good crops to the living. |