Abstract

The Moche civilization flourished along the north coast of Peru from AD 200 -800. Known for their monumental architecture, including the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, ritual sacrifice and dismemberment, and pageantry in the royal courts, the Moche were a formidable kingdom prior to the arrival of the Spanish. Excavations at the complex of Dos Cabezas in the Jequetepeque Valley, Peru, have uncovered elite burial chambers containing the skeletal remains of five contemporaneous males with extremely unique pathologies. Laid to rest in the style of the warriors, research has revealed that these individuals share a secret that has never been documented in the New World before. In this talk, the most recent results of the project will be presented, including a discussion about bone disease, male castration, and the warrior-cult of the Moche.