202557(en)/35 - Points of Encounter: Exploring Collective Funerary Rituals at Cerro de Oro, Cañete (Peru) (Ca. AD 850–900)
FROM MULATTO GIL TO ZAMBO PELUCA: TWO CASES OF SOCIAL MOBILITY, VISIBILITY, AND REPRESENTATION OF AFRO-DESCENDANT IN CHILE IN THE 19TH CENTURY
POINTS OF ENCOUNTER: EXPLORING COLLECTIVE FUNERARY RITUALS AT CERRO DE ORO, CAÑETE (PERU) (CA. AD 850–900)
Francesca Fernandini Parodi y Carmen Cazorla Zen
Starting from a reflection grounded in archaeological evidence and incorporating concepts drawn from the ethnohistory of the region, with the aim of broadening and diversifying our frames of reference, this research explores a collective funerary ritual located within a residential compound at the archaeological site of Cerro de Oro (Cañete, Peru) around AD 850. In this study, we propose to focus on the biological profile of the excavated individuals, the characteristics of their funerary contexts, and the broader settings in which they are inscribed, with the purpose of interpreting possible collective meanings for their inhabitants based on a contextualized narrative. From this perspective, we examine a variety of associations: between age and funerary spaces, between adults and children, between people and their food, textiles, and other elements. These associations suggest a narrative of fluidity, encounters, and transition, where meanings related to life, death, age, sex, and regeneration are reorganized into particular categories that allow us partial access to a past alterity.
