Ritual Violence at the Foundation of Chimu Sociopolitical Control during the Late Intermediate Period in the North Coast of Peru

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ID: 314316
2026
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Abstract
Abstract The Chimu civilization was one of the most sophisticated and successful political entities in the ancient Andes during the twelfth and fifteenth centuries CE. They reigned along the north coast of present-day Peru, and their power included the nearby highlands, probably including the forested mountains in the same latitude. The Chimu civilization is known for its capacity to accumulate corvee labor and built impressive cities and irrigation infrastructure to cultivate once arid lands across the desert of northern Peru. In recent years, the discovery of mass sacrifice grounds where hundreds of children and young camelids were ritually killed opened the opportunity to explore the foundations of Chimu religion and ideology. This chapter deals with the possibility that ritualized violence was at the core of the structural behavior of their political and ideological power. The comparison between the Huanchaquito Las Llamas and Pampa La Cruz archaeological sites suggests that climate anomalies were not the only reason for mass sacrifices. I explore other possibilities such as conquest, political alliances, and the existence of a religious calendar that may have been reasons for child and camelid sacrifice within this ancient Andean society
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openalex_W7161955402 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Gabriel Prieto
Journal Oxford University Press eBooks
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195391367.013.55
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195391367.013.55
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