Posoqoypata, un cementerio Wari en el valle de Ayacucho, Perú
Faculty Advisor
Date
2001
Keywords
Central Andes, Wari, burial chambers, Cists, Ayllu
Abstract (summary)
Recently we carried out an archaeological salvage excavation at a Wari cemetery in the Ayacucho Valley of central Peru. This intervention resulted in the discovery of two totally new mortuary structure forms for the region and the Wari culture in particular. The first form is a rectangular mortuary chamber, with a small east-facing entrance, where the remains of several individuals were found. The second form is a cylindrical cist built to contain the remains of one individual. In this essay we describe both mortuary forms and compare them to other known Wari mortuary structures of the region. Considering that the first form was evidently accessible, we also discuss the possible implications of this chamber with regards to ancestor worship, keeping in mind that an important aspect of ayllu organization during Inka times was the veneration of the ancestors’ mummified bodies that were kept in accessible mortuary buildings.
Publication Information
Lidio M. Valdez, J. Ernesto Valdez y Katrina J. Bettcher. "Posoqoypata, un cementerio Wari en el valle de Ayacucho, Perú." Bulletin de l'Institut français d'études andines [En línea], 30, no. 2 (2001), Publicado el 08 agosto 2001, consultado el 01 octubre 2016. http://bifea.revues.org/7109 ; DOI : 10.4000/ bifea.7109.
Notes
Item Type
Article
Language
Spanish
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND)
