Mysteries of the Dead: A Taphonomic Analysis of the Skeletal Remains from the Peruvian Highland Sites of Marcahuamachuco and Cerro Amaru

This thesis examines the taphonomic changes on skeletal material recovered from the ancient sites of Marcahuamachuco and Cerro Amaru by the Huamachuco Archaeological Project in the 1980s. The remains were recovered from three different burial contexts: (1) Wall niches; (2) Underneath the Castillo; and (3) Inside a Mausoleum. The human skeletal samples recovered from inside the walls of niched halls at Marcahuamachuco are from males and females of average height, ranging in age from juvenile to older adult. Taphonomically, the remains exhibit evidence of extreme water damage, rodent gnawing and human modification consistent with burial preparation, mummification and possibly ancestor veneration. A young tall adult woman and a fetus were recovered from underneath the Castillo at Marcahuamachuco. The adult female exhibits evidence of postmortem bone modification consistent with dismemberment. Given the taphonomy, context, and association with rich grave offerings, the burial appears to be a sacrificial offering. The skeletal material from inside the Mausoleum at Cerro Amaru was the most fragmentary and affected by non-cultural taphonomic processes. The remains are from males and females ranging in age from juvenile to older adult. Contextually, the Mausoleum contained the richest and most diverse grave goods, possibly indicative of a wealthy allyu or extended family burial plot. In general, the burial practices at Marcahuamachuco and Cerro Amaru are extremely diverse and multifaceted, reflecting the complexity of the society and the inhabitants who lived there.

Name thesis:degree_name

MA

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Anthropology

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Spigelski, Sheryl A.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Nelson, Andrew

• Marcahuamachuco
• Cerro Amaru
• Taphonomy
• Funerary Customs
• Wall Burials
• Mausoleum

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/20265

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/20265