Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – Historians have long used remains, burial practices, and other archaeological evidence to define the boundaries of ancient populations. But new discoveries can often change how we understand the past.
In 2018, Corina Kellner, a biological anthropologist and professor, joined a team working at Huaca del Loro, a major site on Peru’s south coast once home to the Nasca civilization from 1 to 750 C.E. She went back with a team in 2022, and their discoveries could shed new light on the region’s history.
Pikillacta – Large Wari architectural site 20 miles east of Cusco. Credit: I, AgainErick – CC BY-SA 3.0
“During our second field session we encountered four wrapped mummified individuals, seated and flexed, with their knees to their chest and their hands around their face,” Kellner said. “While this burial style is common in Peru, these individuals were found near a Wari temple rather than in the cemetery, which is unusual. Additionally, they remained undisturbed for over 1,000 years, which is rare in Peru.”
Many believe the Wari Empire conquered the Nasca civilization. But finding these mummies suggests the two cultures might have worked together rather than clashing through violence.
Following The Shroud
With support from the NAU Scholarly Research and Creative Grant Program and the H. and T. King Grant for Archaeology of Ancient Americas, Kellner spent five weeks in Peru this summer. He worked alongside Melissa Lund, a professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), and Alexandra Oshiro, a PUCP graduate student. Both are part of the Research Group in Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology in Lima.
“When we first found these individuals, we were able to get X-rays and worked with a radiologist and a doctor to interpret the results,” Kellner said. “This time, with permission from the Ministry of Culture and help from a group of archaeologists from Peru and Susana Arce, director of the Museo Nacional de Ica, where the mummies are kept, we took them out of the museum and did CT scans and took DNA samples. We also took samples from other people and animals found at the site, so that we could run isotopic analysis that will help us figure out diet, relationships, and migration patterns.”
Huaca del Loro was inhabited during the Middle Horizon, a time when the Nasca civilization was ending, and the Wari Empire and the Tiwanaku in Bolivia were becoming more influential. Kellner said that studying human remains could show whether the Nasca had contact with the Wari Empire and what their relationship was like.
Huaca del Loro, Peru and Fardo (Mummy Bundle #2). Credit: Jerod Roberts, 2022
“We are looking for colonization techniques to see if there was any type of resistance and to determine how complex their relationship was,” Kellner said. “We usually think of colonization as this rough and tumble violent thing, but that is not always the case. Other techniques can influence areas or regions, like what people might want from each other. These findings make us think that the Wari and the Nasca had a previous relationship and that the Nasca civilization might have supported the Wari Empire.”
Kellner suggested that the connection between these groups may have involved ceramic technology, since the Nasca are known for their unique techniques and colors. Their relationship may also have focused on textiles and the need for cotton. The Wari Empire was based in Ayacucho, a high-altitude area where cotton could not grow, while the Nasca lived at lower elevations suitable for growing cotton, coca leaves, and other crops.
Unwrapping The Story
Once the DNA and CT scan results are in, Kellner and her students will start isotope analysis at NAU’s Anthropology Isotope Paleodiet Lab. They will look at the CT scans and go over the isotope analysis results. Kellner hopes this research will help explain how different societies interact.
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“We always think we’re fighting with each other, but humans are social animals, and we do cooperate and take advantage of the different strengths of each society,” Kellner said. “Looking at the Nasca region, we kind of turned upside down a little bit of what we thought the Wari were doing in the area.”
Kellner seeks a long-term collaboration with the museum in Ica to continue researching these cultures and sharing new findings.
“This is their cultural patrimony; these are their ancestors, and they deserve to know how wonderful and successful they were,” she said.
Source: Northern Arizona University
Written by Conny Waters – AncientPages.com Staff Writer
