Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino

Cultures > South > Hunter gatherers of south Central Chile

Culto y Funebria

Little evidence remains to shed light on how these peoples buried their dead. They certainly practiced both individual and group burials, leaving different grave goods for men, women, and children. In Chan Chan, a coastal site to the north of Valdivia, the body of a young person was found buried on its side in a highly flexed position, covered with red pigment and accompanied with seashells, projectile points, and other stone artifacts. The burial dates back around 5300 years. A similar pattern was found at the Piedra Azul site, on the coast of the Reloncaví Sound. The same pattern of burial and ritual seems to have been followed with infants, with the bodies tied or bundled with cords, in a tightly flexed position. These burials have been associated with campfires and in some cases red ochre, and have included grave goods consisting of stone and shell pendants placed near the head.