PRE-COLUMBIAN CHANCAY BURIAL MASK FROM PERU

“The wood carvings done by the Chancay are characterized by their simplicity, sobriety. This type of burial mask dates approximately from 700 to 1,400 AD. The red pigment was often favored by the Chancay culture and was made from Cochineal, a precious dyestuff obtained not from a plant, but from an insect. The Chancay dead were buried in seated positions and layered in numerous textiles. A mask or false head such as this was positioned over the mummy bundle and the attached wooden shaft or was inserted into the mummy bundle to hold it in place. These unique masks made of wood were used in upper-class funerals and are often found in remarkable condition due to the consistently dry climate.

Occupying the central coast coastal region of Peru, the Chancay were centered mostly in the Chancay and Chillón valleys, although they also occupied other areas such as the Rimac and Lurin valley areas. The center of the Chancay culture was located 80 kilometers north of Lima. It is a desert region but has fertile valleys bathed by rivers and is rich in resources that allowed for, among other things, extensive agricultural development. This culture emerged after the fall of the Wari civilization. Parts of the southern Chancay area were conquered by the Chimú in the early 1400s, and by about 1450 CE the Incas were occupying both areas. The Chancay likely had a centralized political structure and formed a small regional state. Thus, the Chancay culture declined in the later 15th century, as the Inca Empire expanded into their lands.”

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