A historical site in the Atacama Desert might well be declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, judging by efforts undertaken by authorities and local communities in northern Chile. The sites are home to the world's oldest known mummies from the Chinchorro civilization. Joel Richards has more.

These are the oldest known mummified bodies in the world. They date back to between five and seven thousand years. Settled in the Atacama Desert coastal bays of northern Chile, the Chinchorro people developed techniques to preserve their dead some 2,000 years before similar practices began in ancient Egypt. The arid conditions in the region have preserved these mummies and today over 100 of these bodies lie in this museum.

VIVIEN STANDEN SAN MIGUEL DE AZAPA ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM "With carbon dating we have determined this body is from 5,000 years ago."

Vivien Standen has spent decades researching the South American Chinchorro culture, yet to this day she remains overwhelmed by what they represent.

VIVIEN STANDEN SAN MIGUEL DE AZAPA ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM "We say five, six or seven thousand years as if it is nothing. But it is an incredible amount of time! Chile has only been a nation state for 200 years. The Chinchorro had been here for seven or eight thousand years already."

Many Chinchorro mummies are on display in this museum in the small town of San Miguel de Azapa, yet there are hundreds - possibly thousands - still lying under the nearby city of Arica.

BERNARDO ARRIAZA UNIVERSITY OF TARAPACA "Where this museum is, and around this street and the next one, it is full of mummies. It is like a necropolis."

Bernardo Arriaza is one of the chief investigators -exploring the Chinchorro culture. He argues that high levels of arsenic in the water in this region lead to high infant mortality, and the development of the practice of mummification as part of the Chinchorro's grieving process.

BERNARDO ARRIAZA UNIVERSITY OF TARAPACA "One thing is very intriguing. They are buried very shallow, about 50 centimeters to one meter of depth."

Joel Richards "What are the theories as to why that is?"

"I think they were never really buried per se, they were exposed, like it was a daily interaction, living with the dead. Some of the mummies were repainted, retouched, they have different layers. So it is a different dialogue with the dead."

The millennia-old Chinchorro mummies can be found along this coastal region. Wind erosion has led to mummies appearing on this hillside, near a small fishing-village where Jorge Ardiles is one of the community leaders.

JORGE ARDILES CAMARONES FISHING UNION PRESIDENT "A long time ago there was not so much known about the importance of these remains. We want this to be given importance abroad, we are working with the university, the local council, and the state to have it named as a world heritage site which is what it deserves, because of how the Chinchorro mummified the dead."

Led by Dr. Arriaza, the local university will submit a proposal to UNESCO in September to have this declared a World Heritage Site, to help administer these archaeological sites, and preserve this cultural patrimony. Joel Richards, CGTN, northern Chile.