Inka Human Sacrifice and Mountain Worship: Strategies for Empire Unification

8: Conclusions

202 _ chapter eight Conclusions In the present work, I argue that mountain worship and human immolation , especially the sacrifice of qhapaq huchas, were important in Qulla Suyu. The lords of Cuzco used the practices to rationalize their conquest of southern lands, to justify their extraction of local resources, and to integrate subjugated peoples. Their ultimate aim was to unify the empire, thus ensuring its long-term survival. As part of my exploration of these ideas, I examine two sets of archaeological materials from the southeastern quarter. The first one, which was discovered on Esmeralda near Iquique, Chile, includes the corpses of a pair of sacrificial victims and numerous artifacts. The second assemblage was recovered from El Plomo, which is situated to the northeast of Santiago. It comprises the body of a boy along with various items. Researching the hypotheses also has entailed looking at the two sets of remains through various “lenses”: a theoretical perspective having to do with ideology; generalizations based on ethnohistoric data; and D’Altroy’s approach to analyzing empires (hegemonic versus territorial states). theoretical perspective I delve into the relationship between symbols, ideology, ritual, and power. I explain how signs, which include physical objects, are the building blocks of ideologies. An ideology is defined as the part of a symbol system that is utilized by a social group to legitimate its interests. I demonstrate how such a system can be manipulated through ritual, and how rites can be carried out by rulers to constitute their political authority and to promote unity. All material culture, including items from antiquity, are the products of purposeful human behavior and are permeated with meaning. Conclusions 203 203 Archaeologists can get at this meaning by placing each object in its proper context: by considering the similarities and differences, the associations and dissociations between it and other artifacts. From the patterns of signification that a scholar finds, s/he can extrapolate ideologies that existed in the past, and strategies that were employed by dominant groups to constitute and to justify their power over people and resources. ethnohistoric investigation Researchers are greatly aided in their efforts to reconstruct meaning in antiquity if they have ethnohistoric works at their disposal. In my study, I make ample use of Andean sources, which were written during the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries. I bring together all the documents I can find that make reference to mountain worship and/or to human immolation, from which I extract relevant information that I organize and search for patterns. From my reading of the ethnohistoric literature, I conclude that there were five types of sacrificial victims in the Inka Empire: the runa, who was a “citizen” of the state; the necropampa victim, who was the servant or relative of a deceased ruler; the warrior captured in battle; the substitute victim, who was put to death so that another person might live; and most notably, the qhapaq hucha. Runas were males between the ages of twentyfive and fifty; necropampa victims could be of either sex and any age from preadolescent to elderly; prisoners were able-bodied men between early adulthood and middle age; substitute victims tended to be boys, at least when they were immolated at the local level; and qhapaq huchas were children and young women. Runas, necropampa victims, and qhapaq huchas were dressed in their finest clothing and were often given lavish adornments and goods before they met their ends. Warriors were usually stripped naked, their weapons broken. There is little information on the attire of the substitutes, although it seems likely that each wore clothing befitting his social status. There was some overlap in the methods that were utilized to dispatch runas, necropampa victims, and qhapaq huchas: they had their throats cut, were strangled, were hit on the head, or were buried alive. Regardless of the method, all three of them—along with the substitute victims—were treated with respect. Their bodies were carefully interred with various grave goods, including fine cloth, different kinds of vessels, items made from precious metals, and food. In contrast, the warriors were 204 chapter eight bound, tortured, and killed; their corpses were mutilated and/or haphazardly dumped. There also was overlap between the purposes that they served: runas, warriors, and qhapaq huchas were put to death to honor Inti and to promote fertility. A major reason for the ritual slaying of runas and qhapaq huchas—but not war prisoners...