Peru - Moche

From 1999 to 2006, a total of 47 tombs were excavated, primarily on the eastern half of the platform and at the foot of the Huaca. On the platform, the tombs were funeral chambers built in raw brick with lateral niches in varying numbers; at the foot of the Huaca, there are mainly ditches dug into the sand. They extend from north to south and are designed to accommodate one individual lying down.

A similar funeral rite is repeated in all of the tombs, with a few variations or uncertainties. The body is first prepared and enveloped in a shroud, then placed in a coffin of sorts, made of bound reeds. It appears that, in certain cases, it was left out in the open air for a certain amount of time, which led to the arrival of flies and other insects, as well as the inclusion of materials and various small animals. It was placed in the chamber or in the ditch, with the head facing south. The body was, in general, equipped with a few objects owned by the person, such as disc-shaped ear ornaments, metal hairstyling items, a copper spatula, and spindles for women. In their mouths and hands as well as under their feet, were pieces of copper, most frequently deteriorated objects or simply ingots. People of lower social status, or less wealth, were entitled only to ceramic shards, placed in their hands. Along the sides of the coffin were small jars or pitchers with a long neck, carefully kept standing and intended to hold liquid, perhaps corn beer. Other ceramic recipients were added then, especially bottle of a special shape, with stirrup-shaped handles, some of which probably belonged to the deceased during his or her lifetime. Animal bones were also found. A llama had to be sacrificed. The head, tips of the paws and sometimes the tail and a series of ribs were placed in the tomb as well. More rarely, other animals were found alongside the deceased: dogs, guinea pigs, birds. In only one instance, the decease, a young woman equipped with rich offerings, was accompanied by two children, probably sacrificed.

For reasons yet unknown, certain tombs have remained intact, while the Moche re-opened others. The reopening probably took place a few months or years after the burial, as the bones were still partially attached to each other. It appears that the main purpose of the re-opening was to remove bones from the dead. Often, the head was removed, along with part of the spinal cord and one arm. In other cases, the entire upper body is gone or even the body in its entirety. Lastly, sometimes, the bones can be found in disarray. The offerings are not removed, as would unfailingly happen in the event of a clandestine dig or, in any case, they subsist in part. In some cases, isolated bones belonging to other individuals have been placed in a tomb.

Study of the 47 tombs discovered to this day make it possible to refine the stylistic sequence of Larco Hoyle. Some tombs contain objects that can be attributed to a transition between two contiguous phases. However, the dates of those phases are still as imprecise as ever. The digs are underway and will, in the years to come, shift to the northern section of the complex as well as to other marginal areas.