27 km southeast of Nasca,  Chauchilla Cemetery was certainly worth the visit. Reaching the atmospheric site we realise how considerable a civilization the riverbank must have maintained during the Nasca Culture.{2000BC.} The desert landscape rolls gently towards the small river. Scattered about the dusty ground are literally thousands of graves, most of them opened by grave robbers, leaving the skulls and bones exposed to the elements. A dozen of graves have been made into exhibits,  but all the very best funeral clothes and pottery was stolen.

Beautiful and barren backdrop to the cemetery              2 mt long hair do                                                   foot complete with skin, because of the totally dry climate and mummification process

They even buried their pets. This is a parakeet                           Trophy heads. Could be enemies or sacrifices. The ropes was to hang them around one’s waist to gain respect!

We visited a gold extraction “factory”  in a back garden. The gold rich rocks are crushed to a fine powder then ground with mercury and water under heavy stones rocked by leg power. The mercury forms an amalgam with the gold which is then separated by heating. The mercury is reclaimed by distillation. The workers are aware of the toxicity of mercury but their only protection is rubber gloves.

They rock to music                                                        This is the ground raw materiel

By 15.00 hrs we were on the bus for our 8 hr.  journey to Arequipa.

    What a beautiful sunset!