Chinchorro, in South America
The Chinchorro were a semi-nomadic people in what is now northern Chile. The earliest Chinchorro mummy so far excavated was naturally mummified and dates from around 7020 BCE (known as the Acha Man), however there is evidence of deliberate mummification from around 5050 BCE. Similar practices have been identified in cultures in Asia, North America, northern Africa and southern Europe, some from as long ago as around 7200 BCE. The Egyptian practice of mummifying their dead dates from around 3000 BCE.
