Punishment or surgical procedure?:Intentional amputation in a Late Intermediate Period (1000-1450 AD ) individual from Pica 8 cemetery (Northern Chile)

Summary

Presented here is a case of intentional amputation found in a 30-40 year old male (inventoryNº B0796) from the Pica 8 cemetery in Northern Chile who exhibits an antemortem loss of all his left toes. Whilst Munizaga (1974) suggested that this mutilation was caused by frostbite, our CT scan analysis suggests intentional amputation.

While this intentional amputation could be the consequence of a surgical procedure, amputation as a form of punishment presents an interesting possibility to explore in consideration with the individual and cultural context. This individual also possesses an arrowhead embedded in his right first rib and violent traumas to his forehead and nasal bones. He is the only skeleton from Pica 8 (n=96 individuals) in which an arrow point is embedded and one of only six exhibiting cranial traumas (Pacheco and Retamal 2015).

These findings prompt a discussion focused on violence during the Late Intermediate Period in the South Central Andes. Considerations are made for the rise of violent conflict in this period, the use and conceptualization of body and self, and the juxtaposition of the possible interpretations of his role as either a warrior/hero, a slave/criminal.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Spatial Coverage