Rebeca Carrión Cachot (18 December 1907 – 6 April 1960) was a Peruvian archaeologist, historian and teacher, who had studied under Julio César Tello. She contributed significantly to the scientific research of various pre-Columbian cultures, including the Chavín and Paracas.

Biography

Born on 18 December 1907, to Pedro José Carrión (a colonel of the Peruvian army) and Isabel Cachot (singer and composer), Carrión Cachot attended high school, where she was taught by

Elvira García y García Elvira García y García (1862-1951) was a Peruvian educator and feminist. She founded the pioneer girls' school ''Liceo Peruano'' (1883) the leading feminist publication ''Liceo Fanning'' (1894-1914), and is regarded as a pioneer in women's educa ...

. She then pursued higher studies at the

National University of San Marcos The National University of San Marcos (, UNMSM) is a public university, public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. In the Americas, it is the first officially established (Privilege (legal ethics), privilege by Charles V, ...

(UNMSN), where she graduated with a Bachelor of Letters in 1924. At that time she began to collaborate with

Julio C. Tello Julio César Tello Rojas (April 11, 1880 – June 3, 1947) was a Peruvian archaeologist. Tello is considered the "father of Peruvian archeology" and was the first indigenous archaeologist in South America. He made the major discoveries of the pr ...

in his archaeological research. In 1928 she held the position of curator of the Museum of the National University of San Marcos. She received her doctorate in 1931, with a thesis entitled "The clothing in ancient Paracas". She taught at the UNMSM in the 1930s and 1940s, including chairing the course in Pre-Columbian Peruvian Art (1931 and 1946–1955), as well as Archaeology. At the

Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (, PUCP) is a private university in Lima, Peru. It was founded in 1917 with the support and approval of the Catholic church, being the oldest private institution of higher learning in the country. The Peru ...

she taught the course on the History of Peruvian Art. She was one of the first women to hold the university chair in Peru. She succeeded Tello as director of the National Museum of Anthropology and Archeology (1947–1955) and the Archaeological Museum of the University of San Marcos (1947–1955). In 1949 she unwrapped the mummified person known as Paracas 49 on live television at the American Museum of Natural History. The remains were displayed there for 18 days in an exhibition entitled 'The Paracas Mummy'. This was the first time Carbon-14 dating was used on a Paracas individual's remains. During her career she also excavated at Kuntur Wasi and Ancón. She died on 6 April 1960. Her remains were repatriated to be buried in the El Ángel Cemetery ( es), Lima.

Personal life

In 1955 she married the Swiss ethnologist Raphael Girard and she went on to reside in Guatemala.

References

External links

La Cultura Chavín. Dos Nuevas Colonias: Kuntur Wasi y Ancón
Obra de Rebeca Carrión Cachot, Lima-Perú (1948).
''El culto al agua en el antiguo Perú''
Obra de Rebeca Carrión Cachot, Lima-Perú (1955).
#UNMSM Homenaje a Dra. Rebeca Carrión Cachot: La primera arqueóloga peruana y sanmarquina ilustre
(YouTube, in Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Carrion Cachot, Rebeca 1907 births 1960 deaths Peruvian women archaeologists People from Lima Women museum directors National University of San Marcos alumni