[4] The cemetery has been extensively plundered by huaqueros (grave robbers) who have left human bones and pottery scattered around the area.

[2] The site has been protected by Peruvian law since 1997 and tourists pay 8 soles (PEN) to take the two-hour tour of this ancient necropolis.

[1] The bodies are so remarkably preserved due mainly to the dry climate in the Peruvian Desert but the funeral rites were also a contributing factor.

The bodies were clothed in embroidered cotton and then painted with a resin and kept in purpose-built tombs made from mud bricks.

This fictionalized version of the cemetery features a number of embellishments, including mask-wearing Nazcan guards and a hidden, underground burial chamber accessible through the barrows.