The collective burials of Tablada de Lurin (Lurin Valley, Peru; A.D. 1-300).

Abstract

The Tablada de Lurin necropolis of the first half of the Early Intermediate Period had two distinct phases. The aims of this work were to reconstruct the funerary ritual representative of the second phase and to study decomposition in a sitting/ squatting position. Fieldwork and analysis of previous excavation documents provided details on how the dead were buried and how the remains were moved around the burial chamber. Information was also gathered on decomposition in a sitting/squatting position. Laboratory analysis of the remains confirmed the taphonomical field observations. It also demonstrated the presence of secondary burials and the under-representation of foetuses and infants younger than one year. In conclusion, the subterranean stone burial chambers held collective primary and secondary burials. The dead were placed in baskets, in a sitting/squatting position, and wrapped in a shroud. As the different individuals arrived, the remains were moved to the back and the sides of the tomb, finally forming a large cluster of bones. Subterranean stone burial chambers are present in other parts of Peru, especially in the mountains. Collective burial is not an unknown practice in the Central Highlands. Nevertheless, the Tablada collective funerary ritual stands out because it was applied to all, both young and old, female and male. It was also different to the mortuary treatment of the first phase of the cemetery.