Pre-Inca Pet Cemeteries

Whatever happened to Rex? He's buried next to his master. Well, how about Rover then? He was just a puppy when he snuffed it but had already learned to roll over and play dead. Yes, he's here too in the same cemetery as his deceased owner. And anyone know what happened to good old Duke? You guessed right: he's buried here somewhere as well.

It seems that ancient Peruvians -- or at least the Chiribaya people, who lived from 900 to 1350 -- thought very highly of their pets and made a habit of burying their dogs alongside their mummified masters, sometimes with food (a nice treat before starting the journey to the afterlife is always most welcome) or their favorite blanket (what better way to keep warm and secure in dog heaven).

The Chiribaya people lived about 550 miles south-east of Lima in the Osmore River valley. The area was highly fertile, with the result that most of the people living there worked as farmers.

In all, eighty-two dog tombs have been unearthed since archaeologists began poking around and digging in Chiribaya cemeteries about 12 years ago.

Were any of the dogs sacrificed? Happily no. There is no evidence to support any canine mistreatment, which is good news to dogs everywhere and likely to elicit an immediate tail wagging from all concerned.