[Aztlan] Chinchorro mummies and arsenic poisoning

[michael ruggeri]

Listeros,

More than 100 child mummies have been uncovered since 1983 near Arica,  
Chile who were part of the Chinchorro culture which lived in the area  
7000 years ago. Everyone was mummified in that culture. The child  
mummies were seated at the dinner table with their parents. It appears  
they may have been the victims of arsenic poisoning. 46 hair samples  
have been collected and many show high arsenic levels. The Chinchorros  
were a fishing community. Tests on water in their river valley today  
show their river is contaminated with arsenic 86 times higher than  
acceptable. It appears the arsenic levels were the same 7000 years  
ago. And they suffered from chronic ear irritation due to fishing in  
cold waters and from parasitic infections from eating undercooked fish  
and seal lion meat.
Mummification was done by defleshing, removing internal organs,  
filling the bodies with clay, grasses and feathers and the bodies were  
painted bright red and the faces were modeled to look natural and  
painted black or brown.

Down to Earth has the story here with a chilling photo of a child mummy;

http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20090715&filename=news&sec_id=50&sid=29

A tiny URL;

http://tinyurl.com/nhpd4c

Mike Ruggeri

Mike Ruggeri's The Ancient America's Breaking News
http://web.mac.com/michaelruggeri