Pampa La Cruz: a New Mass Sacrificial Burial Ground during the Chimú Occupation in Huanchaco, North Coast of Peru

Abstract

This article describes six sacrificial events carried out during the Late Intermediate Period and the beginning of the Late Horizon at Pampa La Cruz (PLC), located in the Moche Valley, North Coast of Peru. The archaeological context and circumstances in which the children and camelids were sacrificed at PLC are different from the previously investigated site of Huanchaquito – Las Llamas. PLC raises the question of whether the nature and the purpose of human sacrifice among the Chimú was more diverse and complex than previously thought. We discuss possible scenarios for the various sacrificial events identified at this site. Eighty AMS dates published here for the first time constitute the largest and most precise series of absolute dates for Chimú society obtained from one site, and by extension for the Late Intermediate Period in the entire coast of Peru.