4.17 Inca human sacrifices- Mountain top bodies- Part of capacocha ceremony- Capacocha sacrifices have around 20 siteso Juanita (the ice maiden)o El Plomo boyo Llullaillaco boy o Lightning girl (her body was hit by lightning sometime in the last couple hundred years)o La Doncella (the maiden)o Each burial had little amulets, animal figurines, and other objects shaped out of shell- Capacocha was an empire-wide ceremony at birth, marriage, or death of Inca ruler- They were used to stop natural disasters as well (drought, volcanic eruptions)- Periodically to appease the gods?- Began with the collection of 100s of “perfect children”; they were brought to Cuzcoo Called cupac hucha (“opulent gift”)o Who were they? Children 3-15 years Selected for beauty, unblemished appearance, virginity Often children of local nobility, or kurakas Well-off children (no Harris lines) It was considered an honor to be choseno At Cuzco March in pairs of boy/girl as a symbolic married couple Honored with ceremonies and feasts Praised by Inca priests Some were sacrificed in Cuzco (choked with gold, coca dust, or walled alive into shrines) Bone isotope studies show that these children came from all over the empireo Rest were sent out with Inca officials to the far corners of the empire Journey to sacred places to distant corners  They were going to the high mountains to be closer to the gods Inca myth – the mountains need to “eat children” for humanity to survive Altitude puts them closer to sun and moon gods They were strangled or buried alive Once sacrificed, they were considered to have become part of the godsand became patrons of the land- Famous sacrificeso Tanta Carhua 10 year old girl from Urcos “Beauty beyond compare” Nominated by her father for capacocha in the 1520s At head of procession to Cuzco with her parents, carrying idols of her province Had the usual days of feasting and ceremony in Cuzco Procession back to homeland; she was sacrificed not too far from her home Told those with her that she was ready to die because she had been so honored with the feasts and ceremony in Cuzco Buried alive in shrine atop Mount Aixa Father becomes kuraka and ancestral cult is established for his familyIn the US, who owns the archaeological dead? - Debate of excavation of Native American graves, museum skeleton collections1. Not just archaeologists vs. native Americansa. Wide spectrum of voices and opinions b. At one end, you have looters and collectors who want to sell things; the other end of the spectrum is the Pan-Indian religious fundamentalist.c. Fundamentalists – Native American Nations – archaeologists --- looters2. Not just about bonesa. Also about sacred objectsb. Heritagec. Who has the right to present the past?3. Not just moral/ethical (also political, legal, and economic aspects)a. NAGPRA (1990) – the framework that governs what to do with remains; cornerstone of current archaeological treatment of prehistoric remainsb. This law protects native graves where federal funding is involved (most statesfollow)c. Gives tribal authority of unmarked gravesd. Prohibits the selling of bonese. Repatriation (return) of human remains from museums to tribes of “demonstrable descent”f. Return of “inappropriately acquired” sacred items, like if they were looted or stolenToday, solutions and problems- Mainstream natives want people to know their history, so they will let archaeologistsstudy their bones for a period of time, as long as they are returned- Many native Americans have their own museums and archaeology programs to better represent their history to the public- Bones are subject to study before repatriation- Sited will be destroyed, so its better if its by archaeologists than by construction and looters (NAGPRA has in no way stopped archaeology)- Still a lot of gray areas- Contest among Native American nations for skeletons (and the past)o Ex. Hopi vs. Navajo; both say they have ancestry to a place called Black Mesa Lesson: there is an important role of the dead in living societyReviewTopics to study- Mission Indians in La Florida (Larsen 2005)o Signs of stress in skeleton- The Pounder from Ubaid (occupational stresses)- Molecular paleopathologyo Chinchorro mutationso Syphilis- Neanderthal deathwayso Deliberate burialo Cut marks (cannibalism?)o Rodeo riderso Grave goodso Biodistance (DNA)- Hunter-gatherer paleodemographyo Generally healthy besides parasiteo The Shift to farming Health decline Dickson’s mound Danger at weabibg Contaminated food and water Domesticated animal vectors Damaged goods hypothesis - Chinchorroo Mummies- Urban paleodemographyo Increased health risks of citieso ‘filth’ diseaseo Acute community infectionso Teotihuacan- Isotopes and homelandso Immigration and assimilation at teotihuacano The bone chemistry evidenceo Teotihuacan sacrifices from all over- Ancestor venerationo What kinds of societies have this?o What are common features?- Commemorationo When the dead publically embody a political idealo “Vertical chains of reference” – where graves were placed immediately on top of one anothero Chalcatzingo- Social memoryo Tlatilco (Joyce 2001)- Beautification of the dead (LeeDecker 2009)- Social structureo Achieved and ascribed statuso Moundville (Thomas 1989)- Place markers and landscapes- Mocheo Sipano Presentation themeo 1st and 2nd breakthroughso Strong conventions (6 patterns)o How express social statuso Manipulations of deado Connections to Ur- Late prehispanic deathwayso Chullpaso ?????- Incao Living dead sacrifices-