Week 03: Andean cultural History Flashcards
Andean Cultural History were generally divided
horizons (cultural influences)
intermediate periods (cultures flourished)
How are Andean cultural periods generally characterized
ceramic typologies
Earliest mummies?
Early preceramic period
Where are the Chinchorro from?
Chile and Southern Peru
Chinchorro quick facts
-sedentary fisher folks, also hunters and gatherers
- water sources were very important
- before agriculture and ceramics
earliest site of chinchorro
acha
earliest mummy
acha man
naturally mummified
from the site of Acha
earliest anthropogenically prepared mummy in the world
chinchorro mummies
5 types of chinchorro mummies
- natural
- natural + mud
- black
- red
- red + skin bandages
Type 1 Chinchorro mummies
-natural
-naturally desiccated in the desert sand
Type 1a chinchorro mummies
natural and mud
naturally desiccated in the desert sand then covered in mud from head to toe
Type 2 chinchorro mummy
Black mummies
secondary burials
body was first buried then exhumed for cleaning, dismembered, treated and reassembled
body form modelled in clay
skin reattached
body painted with a manganese paste
Type 3 chinchorro mummy
-Red mummies
- incisions at shoulders, groin, knees and ankles
-organs and muscles removed
- head detached, brain removed
- sticks under king for support, cavities stuffed with feathers, soil and hair, incisions sutured with human hair
- body painted with red ochre
Type 3a Chinchorro mummies
- bandaged and corded mummies
- skin reattached as bandages
- many stick s and reeds used
- also red mummies
who was mummified in chinchorro culture
- all/many infants
- both males and females
First artificial mummies
black mummies
explanation of chinchorro mummies
mummies were being used as religious icons
evidence for a complex funerary ritual
INka period/Late Horizon
started in small polity - Cuzco
expansion using different conquest strategies from the military to diplomacy
- the Inca or Sapa Inka was the King and he was descended from the Sun
- two main sources of information are the Spanish chronicles and the archaeological record
Seperation for Inka mummies
death-immediate mourning period
Transition for Inka mummies
extended mourning period, preparation of the mummy
Reintegration of Inka mummies
month long festival
society reintegrates around the new Inka
But the dead Inka is reintegrated into the society in a anew role as a venerated ancestor - there is no ultimate seperation
How long is the mourning period for Inka mummies
10 days - included consumption of chicha and camelid sacrefices
household dressed in dark clothes and lived in darkness
the ink’s women, children and volunteers were sacrificed
provincial lords travelled to Cuzco
How was Inka prepared
prepared as a bundle and placed with his ancestors
took a long time
involved turning him into a venerated ancestor - a mallqui/divine being
What happens a year after the death of the Inka
month long festival that lasts a month
feasting, processing, dancing, battle re-enactments, mass sacrifices throughout the empire
The Inka Mummies were considered to be alive
-consulted for their opinions via interpreter
offered libations
members of their panaca cared for the mummy
could be represented by an idol
make an appearance at rituals
3 Types of Mummification (Inka)
Type 1: natural
Type 2: intentional natural
Type 3: Artificial
Type 1: Natural Mummification (Inka)
- dry/frozen, anaerobic environments
- hot or cold temperatures
- highly absorbent substances (e.g. sand)
Type II: Intentional natural mummification
- body intentionally dried/dessicated by environmental factors
- body wrapped in highly absorbent materials (e.g. textiles)
- intentional location of cemeteries with favourable natural conditions for preservation
Type III: Artificial mummification
- evisceration
- replacement of soft tissues and/or skeleton with other materials
- heat treatments (e.g. smoke, fire)
- use of antiseptic materials
Why was natural mummification not possible in Cuzco
moderate humidity - fosters bacteria
cool temperatures - blow flies till active
precipitation varies greatly and affects local humidity
Karajia Sarcophagi
large wooden and plaster figures on cliff faces, with burials tucked into their bodies
Laguna de los Condores
site contained hundreds of well-preserved mummy bundles
also called Laguna de las momias
Chachapoyas Period
some evidence that artificial mummification, but the predominant burial practice was the secondary burial of dried bundles of bones
Inka Period
mummification became the dominant aspect of the mortuary ritual
bundles weren’t buried - they were kept in chullpas (mausoleums) allowing access to them
- access to the ancestors appears to have been important
Diagnostic characteristic of Chachapoyas
evisceration of abdominal (sometimes thoracic) organs through the anus
anus plugged with a cotton “tampon”
skin treated with an organic preservative
skin treated with an organic preservative
nose and cheeks stuffed with cotton
bodies were hyper-flexed - knees to chest, hands to chin
body wrapped in layers of plain weave cotton
fly casings suggest prep was lengthy
outermost layer often decorated with geometric designs and/or faces, or bundle enclosed in wooden staves
Chachapoyas mortuary ritual
lengthy transitional period - due to insect remains
reintegration even - collective internment
bodies still available in the chullpas - still part of ongoing life
Classic expression of TB in archaeological material
Pott’s spine
destruction of the articular surfaces of joints (esp. hip) (involvement of the pubic symphysis is rare)
periosteal bone formation on the ribs
CMA 0218 expression of TB
calcified lesions in the mediastinal and deep cervical lymph nodes
no skeletal involvement
comparison of CMA 0218 and other mummies with TB
diagnosis largely based on radiological and physical examination of calcified lymph nodes without skeletal involvement
- much higher incident of TB than previously reported
6 other Peruvian mummies
shrunken heads
peruvian fardos
natural mummies
tucume
pachacamac
puruchuco
shrunken heads
severed heads prepared as trophies or for rituals or trade
practiced in tribes in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador and Peru
Religious significance: it harnessed the spirit of the dead person
Peruvian fardos
- mummy bundles
- includes offerings and belongings of the individual (more personalization)
- can be natural or artificial mummies
Natural mummies
naturally mummified bodies can’t tell us much about mummification ritual
preserved remains and associated artifacts can be extremely informative
Tucume
Naturally mummified
- buried in sand and wrapped with many textiles
tightly flexed
Pachacamac
Naturally mummified
- abundant textile wrappings forming a “bale”
tightly flexed
bundles often have a false head (false cabeza)
Puruchuco
Naturally mummified
- abundant textile wrappings forming a “bale”
Tightly flexed
Bundles often have a false head (false cabeza)
Sacrifices in the Andes
affirmed relationships between humans and supernatural
a reciprocal act
offering sacrifices
to the gods or supernatural beings
foundation sacrifices
offerings of dedication, ratification, or consecration to new architecture
retainer sacrifice
retainers, chosen to accompany a thing status individuals into the afterworld
separation in sacrifices
separation of the child from the family
transition and sacrifices
preparation time
change in diet- introduction of coca and chicha
second separation and sacrifices
actual point of sacrifice/death
reintegration and sacrifices
individual becomes one with the divine
the family is honoured and social order is restored
individual is no longer part of daily life
Juanita - the Inka ice maiden
Female - 11-15
killed by blow to the head
mountains were believed to be sacred and alive (apu)
most sacrifices were nonadult to appease apu
Llullaillaco - Argentina
three ice mummies
3 children, no evidence of cause of death
though to be a sacrifice due to coca and chicha evidence
INka mummies were a considered a symbol
of power and resistance during the Spanish conquest, and they were burned/disappeared soon after
