But even though Unesco"s recognition only came recently, residents of Arica have known about the unique archaeological remains for much longer. That"s because the bodies are buried very close to the surface. Indeed, the remains are literally part of the town"s foundation. For example, Johnny Vásquez, who has lived in Arica for 60 years, remembered that when workers first dug sewer pipes for his neighbourhood, they found "layers and layers of mummies". And in 2004, when workers started to excavate for a hotel, they ran into bones less than 1m underground and instead turned the site into a museum.