A Bioarchaeological Analysis of Burials from Huaca Santa Clara and Huaca Gallinazo in the Virú Valley, Peru
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 4-6-2015 12:00 AM Ritual Violence and Times of Transition: A Bioarchaeological Analysis of Burials from Huaca Santa Clara and Huaca Gallinazo in the Virú Valley, Peru Rebecca A. Dillon The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Jean-Francois Millaire The University of Western Ontario Joint Supervisor Andrew Nelson The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Anthropology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Master of Arts © Rebecca A. Dillon 2015 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Dillon, Rebecca A., "Ritual Violence and Times of Transition: A Bioarchaeological Analysis of Burials from Huaca Santa Clara and Huaca Gallinazo in the Virú Valley, Peru" (2015). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2724. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2724 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RITUAL VIOLENCE AND TIMES OF TRANSITION: A BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF BURIALS FROM HUACA SANTA CLARA AND HUACA GALLINAZO IN THE VIRÚ VALLEY, PERU Monograph by Rebecca A. Dillon Graduate Program in Anthropology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Rebecca A. Dillon 2015 ii ABSTRACT This thesis is a bioarchaeological analysis of ritual violence in the Virú Valley, Peru in two periods: the Virú Period and the Tomaval Period, with a focus on examining the effects of socio-political times of transition on patterns of ritual violence. In the pre- Columbian Andes, there were several periods of socio-political transition that greatly affected the populations living on the north coast of Peru. One such period was the Middle Horizon (A.D. 800 – 1,100), with the increasing influence of Huari and Tiwanaku, and with the later rise of Chimor (A.D. 1,100 – 1,550) and Sicán (A.D. 800 – 1,350) on the north coast after the collapse of the Moche (A.D. 100 – 800). During this time of transition (which was possibly largely brought on by drought and famine along the coast), great influence was felt in the region from these powerful groups, especially by the local elite who would have had to learn to adapt to their changing socio-political environment. Through the investigation of a series of interments from Huaca Gallinazo and Huaca Santa Clara, this thesis will compare three contexts of ritual violence: one being a series of dedicatory offerings, another being principal-individual-with-retainer interments, and the third being another form of principal-individual-with-retainer interment with associated camelid sacrifices. This analysis ultimately revealed a new form of ritual violence which emerged during the Middle Horizon on the north coast of Peru and which was likely introduced as a reaction of the local elite to a time of great socio-political change. KEYWORDS Andes, North Coast Peru, Virú Valley, Early Intermediate Period, Middle Horizon, Burials, Bioarchaeology, Paleopathology, Ritual Violence iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to sincerely thank my wonderful Co-Supervisors: Jean-François Millaire and Andrew Nelson, without whom this thesis would not have been possible. The countless emails, revisions, and discussions were very much appreciated. Thank you for your constant support and encouragement through this long…long process. Thank you also to Estuardo La Torre Calvera for being my guide and lab partner in Peru. To my family (Mom, Dad, Nana, Kate and Loghan) – thank you for your unwavering belief in my ability to do this. Thank you for seeing me through all the hard times and forcing me to keep going. Most of all, thank you for carrying me through my many school years and always being there when I needed you. To Alex, Becca, Kristy, Lara, Lauren, Pam and Peige, my wonderful friends – thank you for all of those evenings that we spent unwinding. Thank you for listening to me talk endlessly about skeletons and for always being there with a glass of wine at the end of a hard day. This research was made possible thanks to research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Fonds the Recherche du Québec – Société et Culture, The University of Western Ontario, and to a Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS – Master’s Award Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ ii KEYWORDS .......................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................ iv LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................... x LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................. xii LIST OF APPENDICES ....................................................................................... xiv 1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 2 VIRÚ ARCHAEOLOGY .............................................................................. 4 2.1 An Overview of Archaeological Work in the Virú Valley ..................... 4 2.2 Virú Environment and Physical Setting .................................................. 5 2.3 Virú Valley Chronology .......................................................................... 7 2.3.1 The Virú Period (200 B.C. – A.D. 600) ........................................... 9 2.3.2 The Huancaco Period (A.D. 600 – 750) ........................................... 9 2.3.3 The Tomaval Period (A.D. 750 – 1,150) ....................................... 10 2.4 Virú Valley Burials ............................................................................... 11 2.4.1 Puerto Moorin Period Burials ........................................................ 11 2.4.2 Virú Period Burials ........................................................................ 12 2.4.3 Huancaco Period Burials ................................................................ 13 2.4.4 Tomaval Period Burials ................................................................. 13 2.4.5 Burial Pattern Analysis .................................................................. 13 2.4.5.1 Burial Position ......................................................................... 14 2.4.5.2 Grave Goods ........................................................................... 17 2.4.5.3 Summary ................................................................................. 20 3 BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES ........................................................ 21 3.1 Bioarchaeology, Identity and the Individual ......................................... 21 3.1.1 Identity and Times of Transition .................................................... 22 3.1.2 Bioarchaeological Frameworks ...................................................... 22 3.2 Bioarchaeological Approaches to Identity and the Individual .............. 23 v 3.2.1 Body Modification ......................................................................... 23 3.2.1.1 Artificial Cranial Modification ............................................... 24 3.2.1.1.1 Classification Schemes .................................................... 24 3.2.1.1.2 Artificial Cranial Modification in the Andean Region .... 26 3.2.1.1.2.1 Motivation Behind the Practice ................................. 26 3.2.1.2 Tattooing ................................................................................. 27 3.2.1.2.1 Tattooing in the Andes ..................................................... 27 3.2.2 Trauma ........................................................................................... 28 3.2.2.1 Ritual Violence ....................................................................... 29 3.2.2.1.1 Ritual Violence in the Andes ........................................... 31 3.2.2.1.1.1 Decapitation and Trophy Taking .............................. 31 3.2.2.1.1.2 Retainer Burials and Dedicatory Offerings ............... 33 3.2.2.1.1.3 Prisoner Sacrifice and Mass Burials ......................... 33 3.2.3 Stress and Disease .......................................................................... 34 3.2.3.1 Enamel Hypoplasia ................................................................. 35 3.2.3.2 Porotic Hyperostosis and Cribra Orbitalia .............................. 35 4 MATERIALS AND METHODS ................................................................. 37 4.1 Materials ................................................................................................ 37 4.1.1 Huaca Santa Clara .......................................................................... 39 4.1.1.1 Burials from Huaca Santa Clara .............................................. 41 4.1.2 Huaca Gallinazo