Episode 1: Sacrifice Across Cultures
Question: Can cross-cultural comparison between Inca capacochas and other cultural examples of sacrifice help solidify theories involving such rituals? (The answer to this question might be no, with reasons).
Capacocha mummies are a signature of the culture that surrounds the Inca Empire. Sacrifices would take place in respect to the sun and other important deities (Andrushko, et al. 2011). Children that possessed significant beauty would be offered for these rituals, children from throughout the Inca Empire would be brought forth and treated as a god themselves before they were offered (Andrushko, et al. 2011). Tributes ranging from infancy to teenagers would be chosen for sacrifice. Generally females were targeted for sacrifice more often then than males. Parents could also offer their child as tribute, by doing this great rewards would be given and social prestige would be recognized (Andrushko, et al. 2011). These rituals would be preformed in reaction to catastrophes such as droughts, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and to mark special occasions such as in the succession of a emperor (Andrushko, et al. 2011). The children were brought to the capital city of Cuzco; they were lavished with feasts and special ceremonies. Once the celebrations had ceased the children would be taken to remote locations, sometimes as far as thousands kilometers from the city (Andrushko, et. al. 2011). There they would be sacrificed; the most common way of death was done by strangulation, exsanguination or interment while alive (Andrushko, et al. 2011). Rulers would often demand sacrifices for their funerary plans or succession celebrations. For example when Emperor Pachacuti funerary plans were being drawn he demanded the one thousand children were to be chosen from across his empire and brought to Cuzco to be sacrificed (Andrushko, et al. 2011). They were then partnered up ritually as married couples; this was done in order for the emperor to have servants in the afterlife (Andrushko, et al. 2011).
The Moche were a pre Columbian culture that resided over the North Coast of Peru, they inhabited this area from 200- 750 AD (Sutter & Cortez, 2005). This culture was before the time of the Inca but they too took part in ritual sacrifice. There is no evidence to date that the Moche sacrificed children. Information that’s been collected from tiles suggests that Moche warriors would fight one another in ritual battles; the loser would be sacrificed (Sutter & Cortez, 2005). A second theory proposes that when feuding against other populations the Moche would take prisoners and sacrifice after the battle (Sutter & Cortez, 2005). Mountain sacrifices along with island sacrifices are portrayed on other vessels such as containers and metal works, these acts were defined as being a “Sacrifice Ceremony” (Sutter & Cortez, 2005). Blood was important in a sacrificial ceremony, many of the drawings recovered show individuals getting their throats slit with priests collecting their blood into bowls (Sutter & Cortez, 2005). Only a select few remains have been recovered, some of the sacrificial remains that were found were discovered in tombs with higher-ranking individuals (Sutter & Cortez, 2005). Female remains were found within a burial with a high-ranking individual in the Huaca de la Cruz in the Vir Vally (Sutter & Cortez, 2005). In another site (Dos Cabezas) eight-teen adult males were unearthed, cut marks proposed that they had been sacrificed in a Moche sacrifice (Sutter & Cortez, 2005). An excavation done at the site Huaca de la Luna site revealed more than 75 adult male sacrifices, their throats had either been slit or had some form of blunt face trauma to their heads (Sutter & Cortez, 2005). These individuals were sacrificed around the time of El Nio, which is a time of year when torrential rain would wipe out entire cities. Archaeologists suggest that sacrifices took place around this time in order to prey to the deities to stop the rainfall (Sutter & Cortez, 2005). Other forms of ritual sacrifice revolved around battles, the object of these battles was not to kill the opponent but to weaken the opponent enough so that the individual could be sacrificed by way of bloodletting (Sutter & Cortez, 2005). This was a common occurrence amongst the Moche culture.
The Aztecs preformed many different forms of sacrifices, many involved disembowelment by methods of decapitation and excision of the heart (Graulich, 2000). Other rituals involved having their throat cut, being thrown into a fire, being shot with arrows, drowning, being buried alive or being hurled down the face of the pyramid all mostly followed by heart ex-traction (Graulich, 2000). The human heart was essential to the sacrifice because it was believed to nourish the gods (Graulich, 2000). Aztec rituals were believed to help the cosmos function. The Aztec people would recreate their version of the world through ritual sacrifices, they believed by performing these sacrifices they were nourishing their gods that kept their civilization alive (Graulich, 2000). The various Aztec sacrifices revolves around two different rituals, ritual killing of the dema (deity) and the nourishment sacrifice (where a heart would be fed to a dema) (Graulich, 2000). The individuals that were chosen for sacrificial purposes were purified salves and prisoners of war (Graulich, 2000). The chosen sacrificial victim would represent a specific dema, a mythical hero that would play a role of a character in a myth then act out that myth. Single and multiple sacrifices held many meanings, such as rejuvenating demas, nourishing demas and reenactments of mythical killings (Graulich, 2000). During recent excavations at the Temple R (dedicated to the wind and rain god) in Tlateloloc in Mexico City uncovered the remains of thirty-seven adolescents and six adults (De La Cruz et al. 2008). These sacrifices were thought to be the result of a ritual that happened during a great drought that led to famine throughout the empire (De La Cruz et al. 2008).
The Andean cultures are consumed with ritual sacrifice. Each of these cultures although in some instances living in different eras or different continents all shares this commonality of cultural sacrifice. Sacrifices within these cultures all depict different meanings whilst at the same time share similar overlapping concepts. Strong bonds with their cultural dema’s or deities are visible throughout these cultures as well showing a strong respect towards their rulers. Differences are shown by the severity or act of the rituals and how frequent they are preformed. Sacrifice was a large focus in Andean societies and was worshiped and held in high regards that effected their everyday lives.
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[Photo credited Photograph from INAH/AP, National geographic
Mother holding her child]