Analysis of Mortuary Rituals at Panquilma

Summary

In the Early Intermediate Period (AD 1-700) there was a notable development of belief systems or "ideologies of power." These systems reinforced and naturalized the relations of the dominant classes over the less important social groups. The use of ideology to exert control is an efficient tool, especially when applied to concepts of life and death. Funerary practices effectively serve to promote social cohesion, whether related to kinship ties or political and economic means. The intent of this paper is to delve into the traditions of mortuary rituals, with a particular focus on the implications and functions of ancestral veneration within Andean societies. Through a cross-study of the archaeological finds of burials from the domestic and funerary sector of Panquilma (1000-1470 AD), an Ychsma site in the Lurin Valley of central coastal Peru, and Patricia McAnany’s analysis of Mayan ancestral veneration, the goal of this paper is to examine the ideological processes that form tradition and communicate political and economic power.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Landscape and Social Organization during the Late Intermediate and Late Horizon Periods in the Lower Lurin Valley, Peruvian Central Coast

Keywords

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