Lawrence S. Owens

Human sacrifice at Pachacamac

This is a study of the historical, archaeological, and anatomical/pathological evidence for human sacrifice at the Peruvian coastal site of Pachacamac during the Late Intermediate and Late Horizon Periods (A.D. 1000-1475 and 1475-1533). It highlights the problems associated with the identification of archaeological sacrifice, then goes on to summarize the pathological and cultural evidence from the site. The significance of this evidence is evaluated using not only traditional paradigms but also the notion of “deviant” burial; this is proposed as a formalized means of identifying archaeological sacrifice in collaboration with—and in the absence of—other indicators. Comparisons are carried out with selected sites and periods, and in both coastal and inland regions. Supplementary evidence from international contexts is also considered. The anatomical and contextual findings from Pachacamac reflect a shift from the somewhat sanguineous cultures such as the Nasca and the Moche, to the perfection-obsessed sacrificial modality of the Incas. The former seems to be concerned primarily with retainer burials and the punishment of enemies or opponents, which were offered to an uncertain eternity as a gesture to some higher power. The iconographic, archaeological, and anatomical evidence for sacrifice in these groups is commensurately dramatic. In the case of the Incas, the sacrifices were intended to bless objects or missions, give thanks, or to appeal for supernatural favors or assistance. We go on to propose—for the first time in Latin America—a theoretical framework for identifying and interpreting “deviant” burials in the Andean archaeological record.

To the God of Death, Disease, and Healing. Social Bioarchaeology of Cemetery I at Pachacamac

Visto la suciedad y burleria del idolo nos salimos afuera a preguntar por que hacian caso de una cosa tan sucia y torpe como alli estaba; los cuales muy espantados de nuestra osadia volvian por la honra de su dios y decian que aquel era Pachacama, el cual les sanaba de sus enfermedades; y a lo que alli se entendio, el demonio aparecia en aquella cueva a aquellos sacerdotes y hablaba con ellos, y estos entraban con las peticiones y ofrendas de los que venian en romeria, como los moros y turcos que van a la casa de la Meca. (Estete 1924[1533]: 39) During the Ychsma Project’s 2003 season at Pachacamac, a large, mostly unlooted cemetery was identified directly adjacent to the Sacred Precinct. This location is notable for its favoured position relative to the site’s temples and also to the famous Cemetery 1 excavated by Max Uhle at the end of the nineteenth century, arguably the genesis of Peruvian archaeology (Uhle 1903). Uhle proposed the first chronological sequence for the Central Andes on the basis of the graves and offrenda located at this spot; his interpretations were used and affirmed by generations of his successors and constitute de facto the backbone of modern Peruvian archaeological chronology (Kaulicke 2010; Menzel 1977; Rowe 1954, 1998). Uhle was exceptionally fortunate in this regard, for the sediments in this sector were extensively looted both before and after his work at the site, and many of his postulations were thus based on evidence that was erratic, patchy and incomplete. Uhle’s work led to the conclusion — followed by many of his successors — that Cemetery 1 was defined by the great wall surrounding the Sacred Precinct.

Funerary Practices and Models in the Ancient Andes: The Return of the Living Dead

This edited volume focuses on the funerary archaeology of the Pan-Andean area in the pre-Hispanic period. The contributors examine the treatment of the dead and provide an understanding of how these ancient groups coped with mortality, as well as the ways in which they strove to overcome the effects of death. The contributors also present previously unpublished discoveries and employ a range of academic and analytical approaches that have rarely-if ever-been utilised in South America before. The book covers the Formative Period to the end of the Inca Empire, and the chapters together comprise a state-of-the-art summary of all the best research on Andean funerary archaeology currently being carried out around the globe.

Pseudoscorpions of the family Cheiridiidae (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) recovered from burial sediments at Pachacamac (500–1,500CE), Perú

Abstract Fragmented remains of pseudoscorpions belonging to the family Cheiridiidae (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones) were recovered from Ychsma polity (c. AD 1000–1475) burial sediments from Pachacamac, Perú. Sediments from 21 burials were examined following rehydration in 0.5% trisodium phosphate for 48 h and subsequent screening through a 250 μm mesh. Materials larger than 250 μm were surveyed for the presence of arthropods. A total of two samples contained pseudoscorpion fragments, which were collected and quantified to determine the minimal number of pseudoscorpions present per gram of each sample. Following quantification, pseudoscorpion specimens were imaged utilizing confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to assist with identification efforts. Specimens have morphological characteristics consistent with those found in members of the pseudoscorpion family Cheiridiidae. Members of this family have not been previously described from archaeological materials recovered from Perú, and the implications of pseudoscorpions as members of the archaeological corpocenosis have not been fully interpreted. Herein, we report the first recovery of pseudoscorpions from archaeological materials at Pachacamac, and discuss the significance of their roles in the archaeological corpocenosis.