The Chancay Funerary Dolls: Companions of Mummies

Abstract

In pre-Columbian South America the custom of offering miniatures to the dead was widespread. However, anthropomorphic textile dolls have only been found in the graves of one culture: Chancay. This culture flourished between 1200 and 1470 A. D. in large areas of what is today Peru's central coastal regions. The bodies of these small dolls were made of plant fibers and then covered in textile clothing, which, together with facial painting, distinguished gender. These dolls were often found holding objects. Interestingly, although the dolls were always found with the buried mummy bundle, they were not always alone, but often members of groups of dolls involved in activities such as boat rides, dances or playing musical instruments thus representing daily activities or special events from the life of the deceased.