Transforming the Dead: The Taphonomy and Ritual Economy of Funerary Bundles on the Pre-Hispanic Central Coast of Peru (1000-1532 CE)
Abstract
Death is not only the cessation of life; it is a social transformation. This dissertation investigates funerary practices that facilitated that transformation on the pre-Hispanic central coast of Peru from ca. 1000 - 1532 CE, a time of local consolidation of power after the dissolution of the Wari Empire (600-1100 CE), through to the expansion of the Inca Empire (1450 – 1532 CE). This work focuses on the practices of two archaeological cultures on the central coast of Peru: the Ychsma and the Chancay. Ritual economy, with its integration of agency and political economy, is used as a theoretical framework for studying mortuary variation. Andean funerary bundles (also known as fardos) consist of human remains wrapped in layers of textiles. The objective of this dissertation is to create a methodological approach to analyzing these textile funerary bundles using funerary taphonomy and to apply those methods to the reconstruction of funerary practices to produce information on religious-political relationships. Bundle wrappings pose a challenge to data collection, and studies have historically relied on destructive methods. Therefore, this research uses non-destructive radiographic techniques to avoid unwrapping. Methodological issues are addressed, such as how to systematically assess taphonomy from radiographic imaging.
A taphonomic scoring system was devised and multimodal paleoradiography maximized data collection. Through an integrated biocultural approach that uses taphonomy, ethnohistoric research, and theoretical discussions of Andean ontology, the results show evidence of a ritual complex among the Ychsma that involved the removal of skulls, delayed burial, differential access to intentional natural mummification, and the inclusion of ritually significant objects in select non-elite burials. Comparatively, these practices were less frequent among the Chancay. The preservation of the body and body part retention reflected an overall worldview of retaining a connection with the dead through multiple strategies that persisted into the Inca era. This work explores how to use paleoradiography, funerary taphonomy, and social theory to understand past deathways, as well as to produce an analysis of how peoples of the central coast treated their dead during a time of localized sociopolitical control through to their annexation under the Inca empire.