The necropolis held 420 bodies who had been mummified and wrapped in embroidered textiles of the Paracas culture in 200–300 BCE.

[1] The examples in the British Museum show flying shamans who hold severed heads by their hair.

The subject of these images are supernatural creatures or shamans who use their hands to hold severed human heads whilst their wings transport them like birds.

These cloths were as long as 100 feet (34 metres) and would have required a significant organisation of a number of people to construct.

Tello first visited the site on July 26, 1925 following a trail that had begun in 1915 when he had purchased ancient textiles in Pisco, Peru.

Today these are only shown under limited light conditions where they are held tight between a backing material and perspex.