New zooarchaeological and funerary perspectives on Mochica culture (a.d. 100–800), Peru

Abstract

The Mochica culture developed on the northern Peruvian coast between a.d. 100 and 800. A zooarchaeological study of the remains discovered in graves at four main ceremonial sites—Sipán, San José de Moro, El Brujo, and Moche—provides evidence of 12 sacrificed species including domestic animals such as llamas, dogs, and guinea pigs, and wild animals such as bats and parrots. A comparison of zooarchaeological data with Mochica iconography shows that animals served a variety of ritual purposes, for example, as mortuary food and as guides for souls of the dead in the afterlife. They were also considered to be mediators between the world of the living and that of the dead. This study enhances our understanding of funerary and sacrificial rituals linked to animals in Mochica society as well as in the central Andes.