Accessing the Inaccessible: Late Intermediate Period Chachapoya Collective Mortuary Practices at Diablo Wasi, Peru

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Beyond the Ancestors: New Approaches to Andean "Open Sepulchers"" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The complexity in mortuary traditions across the Chachapoyas region ranges from single individual interments to large, commingled mortuary caves, as well as including constructed sarcophagi and shared open chambers high on cliff faces. Variation within sites and across funerary complexes demonstrates individuality in construction and may reflect not only markers of identity but specific ideological purposes. Explorations at Diablo Wasi using vertical rope access techniques allow us to characterize the variation at this site and nearby La Petaca. While constructed masonry chambers are found on the lower, easy-to-access base, other platforms and chambers are built on narrow ledges located in the center of the escarpment. Unique to Diablo Wasi are the masonry-enclosed natural grottos with more elaborately designed decorations around the entrances. The selection of natural small caverns parallels larger cave systems, but the added façade encloses them in a similar fashion to open sepulchers. Due to challenges in accessibility, these vertical sites have been less damaged by taphonomic processes and retain more materials for analysis. These mortuary contexts present significant challenges in accessibility, both during construction and use, but also for archaeological practice. These raise questions about the nature of risk associated with interring the dead and Chachapoya eschatology.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Beyond the Ancestors: New Approaches to Andean "Open Sepulchers"   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39416.0