Detail from a textile Dalton found in a mortuary feature at Las Huacas, in Chincha Valley, Peru.

On Thursday, October 3, Jordan Dalton, UMMAA PhD candidate, will give a presentation on analyzing an ossuary at Las Huacas, Chincha Valley, Peru.

The mortuary feature consists of the remains of at least 38 individuals, various textiles, ceramic vessels and other artifacts that were deposited in a sealed-off hallway within a 2-hectare administrative and ritual complex. The secondary mortuary event is dated to AD 1500–1600. This period includes when the Chincha polity would have been part of the Inca empire (AD 1470–1532) and the early Colonial period (AD 1532–1570). Dalton will present demographic data on the individuals buried at the site, alongside analysis of the associated artifacts, and she will explore what the secondary nature of the burial event tells us about the sociopolitical context within which the burial occurred.

The presentation is from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., in Room 2334, School of Education Building.