REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF RECUAY MORTUARY PRACTICES: A VIEW FROM THE HINTERLANDS, CALLEJON DE HUAYLAS, PERU (original) (raw)
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This dissertation investigates how new forms of burial involving the placement of mummies in above-ground sepulchers impacted, and were shaped by, processes of identity formation and political change during the Late Intermediate Period in Peru (A.D. 1100-1450), a time of widespread conflict culminating in Inka conquest. Did mortuary practices intensify political fragmentation by reifying group boundaries, or did they mitigate social turmoil and resource risk by promoting inter-group alliance? This question is addressed through the analysis of human skeletal remains from the Colca Valley. Specifically, this dissertation examines: 1) patterns of cranial vault modification (CVM) to explore if mortuary treatment reinforced social differences marked on the body; 2) heritable traits on the human cranium to test if cemeteries were organized by biological kinship and evaluate scenarios of boundary maintenance via endogamy or alliance formation via inter-marriage; and 3) stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from bone collagen to reconstruct diet and shed light on subsistence differentiation and resource access. Fifteen radiocarbon dates from human bone and mortar used in tomb construction facilitate the comparison of these data before and after the onset of Inka state formation. Results show that a transformation in social identity was articulated through, rather than apart from, longstanding mortuary traditions. After A.D. 1300, the proportion of the skeletal population exhibiting CVM dramatically increased, signaling an emergent ethnic identity, perhaps in response to encroaching Inka influence. However, modified and unmodified individuals were buried in the same sepulchers, and biodistance analysis of cranial non-metric traits suggests they actually belonged to the same familial groups organized around shared ancestry and burial customs. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios do not reveal marked differences in resource access or subsistence specialization between burial groups, but instead are consistent with a broadly encompassing subsistence economy oriented toward pastoralism. Notably, modified individuals exhibit slightly but significantly greater heterogeneity in dietary protein intake, possibly indicative of increased mobility between ecological and subsistence zones. By integrating multiple lines of bioarchaeological data, this research demonstrates empirically how social difference and intra-community cohesion intersect in daily life and in the ritual practices surrounding death.
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Journal of Anthropological Research, 2002
Recent archaeological salvage excavations in the Ayacucho Valley of the Peruvian Central Highlands resulted in the discovery of two totally new mortuary structure forms for the region andfor the Wari culture in particular. Thefirstform consists of two rectangular mortuary chambers, each with a small east-facing entrance and holding the interred remains of several individuals. The second form consists of several cylindrical cists, each containing the remains of a single individual. We describe both mortuary forms and compare them to other known Wari mortuary structures of the region. Since both chambers evidently were accessible, we also discuss their possible implications with regard to ancestor worship, keeping in mind that an important aspect of Inka ayllu organization was the veneration of ancestors' mummified bodies kept in accessible mortuary buildings. WHEN THE SPANIARDS entered the Inka capital of Cuzco in 1533, they soon learned that the bodies of dead leaders were kept in special buildings (called chullpas) and were periodically visited, adored, feted, and consulted (Allen 1988:57; Rowe 1995:30). The preserved corpses of former emperors were dressed in fine clothing and on special occasions were brought into the plaza to receive offerings and to be consulted by the living (see Pizarro 1965 [1571]:192; Rowe 1946:259). These preserved corpses were regarded as the founders of the panaka, or royal ayllu
The social life of death : mortuary practices in the North-Central Andes, 11th-18th centuries
2014
For many societies, the world of the dead reflects the world of the living. Studies of mortuary practices are a fundamental way for scholars to research ancient societies, rituals and belief systems. This thesis examines the transformations in funerary practices in the North-Central Andes from AD 1000 to 1799, a period covering both the Inca and Spanish colonisations. This research demonstrates how historical events, political actions and manipulation can affect the habitus of a society. By studying the ways that people treat their dead, scholars can track changes in the social and cultural practices of ancient groups. This research has a multi-disciplinary approach that combines archaeological and ethnohistorical data. It investigates the ideology related to the use of tombs, within a framework of changing social organisation. By drawing on the existing archaeological and historic reports, a unique database has been created which catalogues the tombs of the Ancash highlands in a sy...