Steering Clear of the Dead: Avoiding Ancestors in the Moquegua Valley, Peru

Abstract

Ancestors are a central and recurring theme in scholarship on mortuary practices in the pre-Hispanic Andes. Archaeological and ethnohistoric data indicate that in many times and places the dead were critical social actors. Physical interaction with the bodies and spaces of ancestors was important in legitimizing claims to heritage, land, resources, and status. Yet, relatively neglected in the literature on Andean attitudes to the dead is how people dealt with other people's ancestors. To address this, I examine how a Late Intermediate Period community, who circa AD 1250 occupied an earlier terminal Middle Horizon village in southern Peru, managed interactions with their predecessors' dead. Excavations at the site reveal considerable evidence for active avoidance of cemeteries associated with the older village, which contrasts with the re-utilization of earlier domestic space. Moreover, aversion to the ancestors of others was practiced alongside active engagement with the new community's "own" dead. Drawing on Lau's recent (2013) discussion of alterity in the ancient Andes, I propose that just as interacting with one's own ancestors is frequently interpreted as a way of reifying belonging, steering clear of the dead can be equally powerful in community building and identity negotiation during major sociopolitical upheaval. [alterity, funerary practice, Andean South America]RESUMEN Los ancestros son un tema central y recurrente en la investigación sobre las prácticas mortuorias en los Andes prehispánicos. Los datos arqueológicos y etnohistóricos indican que en muchas ocasiones y lugares los muertos fueron actores sociales críticos. La interacción física con los cuerpos y los espacios de los ancestros fue importante en la legitimización de reclamaciones sobre patrimonio, tierra, recursos y estatus. Sin embargo, relativamente descuidada en la literatura sobre las actitudes andinas hacia los muertos es la manera como las personas se enfrentan a los ancestros de las otras personas. Para abordar esto, examino cómo una comunidad en el período Intermedio Tardío, que alrededor del año 1250 DC ocupó el poblado Horizonte Medio previamente un terminal en el sur del Perú, manejaba las interacciones con los muertos de sus predecesores. Las excavaciones en el sitio revelan evidencia considerable de una evitación activa de los cementerios asociados con el pueblo más antiguo, lo cual contrasta con la reutilización de espacios domésticos anteriores. Adicionalmente, la aversión a los ancestros de otros fue practicada junto a un compromiso activo con los muertos "propios" de la nueva comunidad.Basada en la discusión reciente de Lau (2013) sobre alteridad en los Andes antiguos, propongo que, así como el interactuar con los propios ancestros de uno es frecuentemente interpretado como una manera de reificar el sentido de pertenencia, el alejarse de los muertos puede ser igualmente poderoso en la construcción de la comunidad y la negociación de identidad, durante una gran revuelta sociopolítica. [alteridad, práctica funeraria, América de...

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