essay

Communality and diversity in Moche human sacrifice

art and archaeology of the moche : an ancient andean society of the peruvian north coastAustinPublished In 2008 • Pages: 195-213

By: Verano, John W..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Three incidents of human sacrifice at Huacas De Moche are described that took place in two separate periods and plazas: in Plaza 3c from 1880-1770 BP and in Plaza 3a from 1470-1420 and 1880-1770 BP. The pattern uncovered is consistent with the ritual killing of captives known from Moche iconography. Skeletal evidence is presented for combat wounds and the manner of sacrifice. Several tombs were found in both plazas, and it is supposed that their occupants may have been involved with the sacrifice of the victims. The stratigraphy indicates the sacrificial events were not in direct response to an environmental crisis like an El Niño.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Morbidity
Mortality
Visual arts
Burial practices and funerals
Prayers and sacrifices
Organized ceremonial
Chronologies and culture sequences
Cultural stratigraphy
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Moche
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2015
RegionThe area the document pertains to
South America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Central Andes
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Physical Anthropologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Sarah Berry; 2013
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1995-2001
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1880-1420 BP (AD 120-580)
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Plaza 3, Huaca de La Luna (Huacas de Moche), Moche district, Trujillo (Moche Valley), La Libertad, Peru
NotesAdditional notes
John W. Verano
Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-213)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
2008027539
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Moche (Peru)--Antiquities