Unique Infant Mortuary Ritual at Salango, Ecuador, 100 BC

Bibliographic Data

ID4374317
AuthorsSara L Juengst (0000-0002-2207-6095), Richard M Lunni (0000-0002-0402-438X), Richard Lunnis, Richard Lunniss, Abigail Bythell, Juan José Ortiz Aguilu, Juan José Ortiz-Aguilu (0000-0001-9644-616X)
Year2019
Volume30
Issue4
Pages851-856
Publication date2019-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLatin American Antiquity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1045-6635 • E-ISSN: 2325-5080
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/laq.2019.79
OpenAlexW2983801162
LanguageCA
Citations received3
References cited19

The human head was a potent symbol for many South American cultures. Isolated heads were often included in mortuary contexts, representing captured enemies, revered persons, and symbolic "seeds." At Salango, a ritual complex on the central coast of Ecuador, excavations revealed two burial mounds dated to approximately 100 BC. Among the 11 identified burials, two infants were interred with "helmets" made from the cranial vaults of other juveniles. The additional crania were placed around the heads of the primary burials, likely at the time of burial. All crania exhibited lesions associated with bodily stress. In this report, we present the only known evidence of using juvenile crania as mortuary headgear, either in South America or globally

Ancient history · Archaeology · Biology · Crania · Geography · Juvenile · Trophy · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Ecology · History

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