Huari-Ancash Bioarcheology
What I learned from excavating ancient tombs in the Peruvian highland.
This summer I received funding from the Keller Family Venture Grant and the Finney Family Field School fund to travel to Peru and participate in Huari-Ancash Bio-Archeological Research Project. I am thrilled to share with you all my experience learning, hiking, and excavating in a small town called Huari, located right at the bottom of the Andes mountain range.
This research project focuses on the pre-Columbian (before the Spanish invasion of Peru in 1532) civilizations in the Andean Region of Peru. The Incas were the largest, most well-known civilization in the pre-Columbian era right before colonization.
Here, I will introduce other pre-columbian civilizations in which some of them I had the privilege to visit and excavate at their respective locations.
The Inca (AD 1450-1534)
Starting with the latest civilization, the Incas expanded throughout the Andean region of South America and had its capital in present-day Cusco, Peru. The most famous archeological site of the Incas is the Machu Picchu.
The Nazca (100 BC - 800 AD)
Located by the Pacific coast, the Nazca culture was heavily influenced by their people's relationship with nature and natural phenomena such as El Niño. Their pottery, artworks, and textiles depicted distinguish sea animals with human features. The famous Nazca lines were constructed during this period and there is still no conclusive agreement upon the purpose and the meaning of these lines.
The Moche (100-800 AD)
Around the same time as the Nazca up on the Northern coast, we have the Moche. Moche's vessels were one of the most exquisitely made and decorated. Both zoomorphic and anthropomorphic vessel figure carries unique representation and meaning.
The Recuay (200BC - 600AD)
The Recuay lived in the Andean highland of the Ancash region. This area is roughly where I did my research and excavation. Their above-ground tomb or Chullpa (see picture) served a unique purpose of connecting the world of the living and the dead. The funereal practice of the Recuay people is the main focus of this project and I will expand on it later on in this presentation!
The Chavin (1200 - 100 BC)
The Chavin was one of the earliest civilizations in the northern Andean highlands. The Chavins were known for their sophisticated art style in the media of carved stone. They built a massive temple complex with platforms and a U-shape plaza as a center for worshipping deities.
Excavating the Recuay Chullpas
As I have mentioned, the time period and culture that I will be studying is the Recuay culture (200 BC- 600 AD). The excavation took place in the area called Ampas near a small town, Huari.
Using Google Earth, I created a landscape map of excavation sites from the year 2019 and year 2023. Both sites are about a 30-minute drive from the Huari city center
The excavation site up close! We excavated at this site for one full week. There are 3 main sectors each containing one or two chullpas (above ground tomb). Our goal is first to clear the area from all vegetation and dig and dust the stones to get a better picture of a structure for each sector.
Here is a rough sketch of the excavation sections after we cleared up the site area. I made this sketch with the program called Inkscape. During excavation, I specifically worked on sections C7 and C8.
Excavated ceramics with red paint and patterns. These are found at section C7 which is right in front of the Chullpas entrance. We found more pottery and ceramics closer to the tomb's entrance. This signifies the way in which the Recuay people buried their dead ones along with some highly detailed ceramics and pottery. No human remains are found in the tomb because they were previously robbed.
However, in section C4 we found pottery, ceramic, and silver wear along with human and animal remains. They are buried about 1 meter down the crypt under a large boulder.
First Day of Excavation!
After 1 full week of excavation, we found numerous shattered pieces of pottery, ceramic, animal, and human bones buried near and/or inside the tomb. With 1 more week of data analysis and interpretation, we concluded that the majority of these artifacts indeed belonged to the Recuay people and some came from another group, possibly further back in the historical timeline. These findings confirmed us the concept of the funereal practice of the pre-Columbian people, on the way in which the living found ways and practices to connect with the dead. By keeping the tomb entrance open and burying their dead with meaningful artifacts. They also confirmed that Recuay people traveled to other cities/kingdoms and exchanged cultural artifacts.
My experience in Peru has been life-changing, valuable and unforgettable. The Andes region is rich in history and culture. I feel very privileged to have this chance to study it. All of this would not be possible without the support from the Keller Family Venture Grant and the Anthropology department at Colorado College.
