Across Cultures: Moche, Aztecs, and Inca
When observing the scope of cultures that practice ritual sacrifice, similarities and vast differences can be observed. Some cultures, such as the Inca, had specific rituals dedicated to sacrificing a child, which worked to unify their empire (Andrushko et al. 2011, Bray et al. 2005, Wilson et al. 2007). While their northern Andean ancestors the Moche practiced ritual warfare sacrifices as well as sacrificing people that would join their rulers in the afterlife. The Aztecs main soul purpose of sacrifice was done in order to appease their gods in hopes a having a successful harvest and prosperity within their communities. Sacrifices vary from peaceful and solitary to overly violent displayed in front of mass populations. In part one of our introductory to the Capacocha project We will be addressing how cross-cultural sacrifices took place in these three diverse cultures. In presenting this work we hope to compare and contrast differences and similarities within these cultures and shed light on their sociopolitical systems (aka defining why and how these rituals took place).
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[Photo courtesy of the very talented Robert Clark]