Department of Anthropology presents Gabriel Prieto (University of Florida): “Multidisciplinary Studies in the Reconstruction of the Social Dynamics and Economic Interactions of the Chimu Empire, North Coast of Peru."

 

The Penn Department of Anthropology hosts Gabriel Prieto from the Department of Anthropology from the University of Florida, who will be giving a presentation on “Multidisciplinary Studies in the Reconstruction of the Social Dynamics and Economic Interactions of the Chimu Empire, North Coast of Peru.” 

The Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies is co-sponsoring this event.

Abstract

Recent excavations at Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimu Empire, and mass child and camelid sacrificial grounds around this Prehispanic city offer a unique opportunity to study the Chimu's social dynamics and economic interactions. This presentation offers a diachronic perspective to learn about the social changes during the Late Intermediate Period (A.D. 1000-1450) and how daily life activities and religiosity were intertwined during this period. Preliminary results on aDNA studies, isotopic analysis, 14C dates, and ceramic studies suggest that the Chimu society had complex short and long-distance interactions with other contemporaneous societies. At the same time, recent results suggest that mass child and camelid sacrifices were central to the structure of the Chimu religion and had an essential role in the political economy of the empire.