Anthropological work in Peru, in 1913 : with notes on the pathology of the ancient Peruvians / by Dr. Aleš Hrdlička.

  • Alex Hrdlicka
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Anthropological work in Peru, in 1913 : with notes on the pathology of the ancient Peruvians / by Dr. Aleš Hrdlička. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Ica. They doubtless represent a special clan or tribe of the coast people. In contrast to the cemeteries of Lomas and also to those at Con- ventillo, the burials in this locality were poor in fabrics, including slings, but there were present wooden clubs made of the heavy huarango (a variety of mesquite). Another interesting condition was that some of the burials at least were made in stone-lined pits. The bodies were buried in the contracted position. Pathologically, the bones of this cemetery showed a prevalence of arthritis ; but there were no well-developed mushroom ” femora, and only traces of osteoporosis. Otherwise the conditions agreed with those of the rest of the coast people in this vicinity. The cemeteries of Conventillo have yielded glass beads, copper pins made in the European style and some other objects indicating contact with the whites, and must therefore be classed as post- Columbian ; but they date probably from the early part of that period. The burials, as at Lomas, were rich in fabrics and espe- cially in slings, and the fabrics in general were identical in material, colors and designs with those of Lomas. The skeletal remains also, physically as well as pathologically, presented identically the same conditions as those from the Lomas burial grounds. There can be no doubt but that these remains belong to the same tribe of people as do the majority, at least, of those of Lomas, and their date is also a valuable index for the antiquity of those from the more northern locality. The Acari Valley.—The narrow valley of the Rio Acari, from Chaviha to Otapara (a distance of about 30 miles), is dotted and in some places overspread with the relics of the aboriginal population, both ruins and cemeteries (fig. i). Of these remains, those on the south side of the river could not be examined closely on account of the impassable condition of the stream at this time. Along the north side of the river ruins and cemeteries are found in the vicinity of all sites where cultivation of the lowlands was possible. The ruins show low walls or foundations, made of water- worn stones, without any cement. Evidently the remainder of the dwellings was of more perishable nature and has completely dis- appeared. The enclosed spaces are rectangular and generally of moderate dimensions. Burial grounds, merely tapped or excavated only in part, exist near all the ruins. The skeletal remains exposed are fairly abundant, but often in poor condition. Moderate fronto-occipital
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