Surrounded by the Dead: A Spatial Analysis of Kuelap’s Mortuary Practices, Chachapoyas, Peru

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Kuelap is a monumental archaeological complex in the northeastern Andes that was occupied by the Chachapoya (ca. 500 – 1470 CE) and Inca (1470 – 1535 CE). Previous GIS research in the region has involved architecture and viewshed analysis of funerary features across the Utcubamba valley. This study uses GIS mapping to investigate the within site spatial distribution of mortuary practices at this site by identifying burials from excavations. We examined several characteristics; burial type, chronology, age-at-death, and sex of individuals. The primary goal was to locate burials and investigate the relationship of these elements. The process started by obtaining site maps. Broad (10m2) and narrow (1 m2) grids were used to spatially plot 558 burials. We produced various maps to visualize patterns in different variables. Nearest neighbor analysis showed almost all variables were clustered spatially, except for male burials and female massacre victims. Results demonstrate the dense distribution of burials at Kuelap. Documenting the burials at this site expands avenues of understanding how the Chachapoya community connected with their dead.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32518