A funeral bundle is a method of enclosing a

corpse A cadaver or corpse is a dead human body that is used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a living human being. Stu ...

before

burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

, practiced by the

Paracas culture The Paracas culture was an Andean society existing between approximately 800 BCE and 100 BCE, with an extensive knowledge of irrigation and water management and that made significant contributions in the textile arts. It was located in what tod ...

of the

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

vian

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

. The well-preserved funeral bundles of the Paracas have allowed

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

s to study their

funeral A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...

rituals in detail. Over 429 funeral bundles containing gift textiles, reams of plain cloth, and various ritual paraphernalia have been excavated from a necropolis at Cerro Colorado. These artifacts offer the largest source of pre-Columbian Andean textile arts known to date. The naked body of the deceased is bundled in the

fetal position Fetal position (British English: also foetal) is the positioning of the body of a prenatal fetus as it develops. In this position, the back is curved, the head is bowed, and the limbs are bent and drawn up to the torso. A compact position is ...

before

rigor mortis Rigor mortis (Latin: ''rigor'' "stiffness", and ''mortis'' "of death"), or postmortem rigidity, is the third stage of death. It is one of the recognizable signs of death, characterized by stiffening of the limbs of the corpse caused by chemic ...

sets in. A long strip of coarse cotton cloth was then wrapped around the body. Along with the bodies, different kinds of memorabilia have been found, including clothing, food, scraps of cloth or clothed dolls with religious embroidered motifs, and small badges of gold, and these "gifts" form the nucleus of the bundle. Many fabrics interred with the dead were created for expressly for the funerary ritual, and were not worn during life. Also found in numerous burial sites were bodiless heads, wrapped in fine cloth, similar to those depicted in the borders of the

textiles Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

wrapping the body of the deceased. In adult burials, one usually finds on this nucleus an additional layer, formed of pieces of ceremonial garments, decorated with embroideries and protected by several sheets of cotton fabric. These were cooked and tied with cord to facilitate the transportation of the bundle to the burial site. Facing the bundle, mourners would place between one and seven

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

pieces. A pole or a cane indicated the precise place of the burial. Individuals of major status received more textile gifts and, in this case, the number of layers increased substantially: up to three successive layers could be added onto the nucleus. These layers, and in particular the last one, usually contained decorative embroidered cloaks. The burials have a collective character, as it is thought that related individuals were generally buried together in the caverns dug in the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

or in the

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

. In several cases, it has been determined that remains were transported and re-interred some years after death. Burial areas are located next to established living places. Often, an area that was inhabited earlier by the living, such as the ruins of houses and public buildings, were used for a necropolis.

References

{{Reflist Archaeology of death