Conversion and Revitalization in a Taki Onqoy Center of Highland Peru (Chicha--Ayacucho)

Summary

In the first generation after the Spanish conquest of Peru, indigenous Andeans and Spaniards entered into a period of change in which daily practices, traditions, and religion were negotiated and reshaped. A local response to Spanish attempts at Christian conversion was the cultural revitalization movement of Taki Onqoy (Quechua-dancing sickness). Primary sources suggest that this movement was practiced by local Andeans and manifested through the rejection of Spanish religious beliefs in favor of a return to huaca worship. Conversely, secondary sources have debated the very existence of the movement. This paper presents the preliminary results of the first large-scale excavations at Iglesiachayoq, an Inka and Early Colonial Period settlement whose inhabitants were Taki Onqoy practitioners. As the first archaeological project to actively investigate Taki Onqoy practices, this project provides insight into the material signatures of Taki Onqoy, and contributes physical data to a debate which has been only text-based to date.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage