Goepfert-La Llama y El Ciervo
ABSTRACTThe domestication of camelids, llamas and alpacas, took place between 6000and 5500 BP in the central Andes These animals played a fundamental role inthe development of pre-Hispanic societies Among theMochica (100-800 AD),a coastal culture of northern Peru, the meat consumed mainly consisted ofcamelids and guinea pigs but also deer, fish and shellfish However, these wildcreatures were not used in funerary rites, especially those involving the symbolicfood of the dead The latest ethnohistorical and ethnographic data confirmthecontinuity of these ritual practices The llama has remained, up to our day, theonly animal which may be consumed at special events, such as funerary mealsor propitiatory ceremonies This occurs in particular at Carnival, when theheart and the lungs of a sacrificed llama are offered, burned and symbolicallyconsumed by the Apu (spirits of the mountain), the Pachamama (the EarthMother) and the Tio (tutelary divinity of the mine) We will attempt tounderstand how the absence of wild animals in these rites corresponds toancient cultural traditions, reuniting and opposing the terrestrial world and thatof the divinities, the domestic world and the wild, this conceptual whole being aguarantee of order and continuity for the society
Content
The domestication of camelids, llamas and alpacas, took place between 6000
and 5500 BP in the central Andes These animals played a fundamental role in
the development of pre-Hispanic societies Among theMochica (100-800 AD),
a coastal culture of northern Peru, the meat consumed mainly consisted of
camelids and guinea pigs but also deer, fish and shellfish However, these wild
creatures were not used in funerary rites, especially those involving the symbolic
food of the dead The latest ethnohistorical and ethnographic data confirmthe
continuity of these ritual practices The llama has remained, up to our day, the
only animal which may be consumed at special events, such as funerary meals
or propitiatory ceremonies This occurs in particular at Carnival, when the
heart and the lungs of a sacrificed llama are offered, burned and symbolically
consumed by the Apu (spirits of the mountain), the Pachamama (the Earth
Mother) and the Tio (tutelary divinity of the mine) We will attempt to
understand how the absence of wild animals in these rites corresponds to
ancient cultural traditions, reuniting and opposing the terrestrial world and that
of the divinities, the domestic world and the wild, this conceptual whole being a
guarantee of order and continuity for the society
