The Paracas culture is one of the oldest civilizations on the coast of Peru, existing from approximately 600 BCE to 175 BCE. The name Paracas comes from a Quechuan word which means 'sand falling like rain', and it was used to describe the sandstorms that would start and end abruptly on the peninsula.

The peninsula in question is the Paracas peninsula, a piece of land that juts out into the Pacific Ocean between the valleys of the Pisco and Ica rivers and from what has been able to be ascertained, seems to have been a ritual center. There are a number of cemeteries located on the peninsula and mummified bodies have been excavated.

The Paracas people actually lived north of the peninsula, in river valleys near the coast. Due to the dry climate of the area in which the Paracas people lived, archaeologists have been able to find preserved remains of food items, textiles, featherwork and other artifacts which have been key to learning about how the Paracas lived. From what has been found, it has been ascertained that the Paracas people ate maize, peanuts, cassava and fish (probably where they were able to get most of their protein) - they also created baskets and used plant gourds as containers.

Grave goods and other artifacts excavated from Paracas cemeteries show that the Paracas culture was a wealthy one, they imported raw materials such as wool from the highlands, feathers from the rainforests and shells from the north coast. While not known conclusively, it is possible that they traded sea salt and salted fish in exchange for the imported goods.

The cemeteries of the Paracas have yielded up remains that were mummified and wrapped in bundles of cloth with grave goods of various kinds included in the burials. The bodies are usually in a sitting position with their knees tucked up towards their chins and the poorer citizens were then enclosed in a piece of plain, white cotton while the wealthier citizens were placed inside a large shallow basket. The wealthy were then wrapped with several layers of cloth until a large, cone-shaped bundle was created. Some of the layers of cloth were plain, others were patterned with panels of embroidery depicting images of animals, humans, gods, plants and mythical creatures. Interestingly, some of the representations used by the Paracas bear a similiarity to those used by the Chavin people.

Also included in the bundles would be grave goods consisting of embroidered clothing, headbands created from fur and feathers and simple gold ornaments. On some occasions the bodies were surrounded by pottery, usually bowls and bottles with double spouts. Unfortunately not enough is known about the Paracas culture to ascertain if these goods were buried with the deceased to be used in the afterlife, were gifts to the gods or were used for other purposes.