Pre-Inca funerary rituals in the necropolis of Ancòn (Lima, Peru): archaeometric investigations

Funerary clothes and textile fragments belonging to the grave goods of three mummies and seven skulls, all dated approximately to the pre-Inca cultures Huari-Chancay (600-1400 A.D.) were recently rediscovered in the vaults of the Musei Civici di Reggio Emilia (Italy). The analysis of these specimens is in progress, thanks to an interdisciplinary project. The archaeometric study of the present set of samples represents a fundamental step for disclosing funerary rites in pre-Inca Peru. In fact, although an incredible number of archaeological materials have been found at the archaeological site of Ancón, detailed studies on mummification procedures of coast communities are lacking. In this work, samples of hair belonging to three mummies (one woman, a man and a child) were analyzed and the results are discussed in order to assess the presence of post-mortem styling of the hair. Light and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) were used to obtain a visual study by cuticle diagnostics on the outer layer of the hair, and to gain information on the treatment of hair by brushing, washing and styling. The results are discussed and compared to the outcomes of characterizing the organic materials employed to dye the clothing and wrappings of the mummies. Most often the same colored materials were applied both for textile and hair dyeing. The so revealed burial customs may be correlated to a distinct social position of the dead.The main problem encountered in this study was the unavailability of proper reference materials for the unambiguous identification of dye and resin sources. Some questions still remain unanswered, although the present findings open new roads towards the comprehension of funerary rituals in pre-Inca Peruvian cultures.