From bodies to bones: death and mobility in the Lake Titicaca basin, Bolivia

Disposal of the dead in early societies frequently involved multiple stages of ritual and processing. At Khonkho Wankane in the Andes quicklime was used to reduce corpses to bones in a special circular structure at the centre of the site. The quicklime was obtained from solid white blocks of calcium...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inAntiquity Vol. 89; no. 343; pp. 106 - 121
Main Authors Smith, Scott C., Arias, Maribel Pérez
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.02.2015
Subjects
Analysis
Archaeological research
Archaeology
Biological organs
Bolivia
Bones
Burial
Burials
Calcium
Calcium oxides
Caravans
Corpses
Excavation
Funerary archaeology
Historic artifacts
Human body
Human remains
Iconography
Khonkho Wankane
Lake Titicaca
Lime
Mobility
Mortuary customs
Mortuary practice
Relocation
Rites & ceremonies
Bolivia
Lake Titicaca
llama caravans
mortuary ritual
quicklime
Bolivia
Titicaca basin
Late Formative
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Disposal of the dead in early societies frequently involved multiple stages of ritual and processing. At Khonkho Wankane in the Andes quicklime was used to reduce corpses to bones in a special circular structure at the centre of the site. The quicklime was obtained from solid white blocks of calcium oxide and was then mixed with water and applied to disarticulated body parts. A few plaster-covered bones were recovered from the structure but most had been removed from the site, possibly by itinerant llama caravans. Thus, Khonkho Wankane was a ritual centre to which the dead were brought for processing and then removed for final burial elsewhere.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0003-598X
1745-1744
DOI:10.15184/aqy.2014.32