Spanish:Sarcófagos de Karajía | |
.jpg) Sarcophagi of Karajía | |
  Sarcophagi of Karajía Shown within Peru | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Region | Utcubamba Valley |
| Coordinates | 6°09′43″S78°01′17″W / 6.16194°S 78.02139°W /-6.16194; -78.02139 |
| Part of | Karajía Archaeological Monumental Zone |
| Height | 2,549 metres (8,363 ft) |
| History | |
| Periods | Late Intermediate Period |
| Cultures | Chachapoyas |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1985 |
| Archaeologists | Federico Kauffmann Doig[1] |
| Ownership | Ministry of Culture (MINCUL) |
| Public access | yes |
TheSarcophagi of Karajía (Spanish:Sarcófagos de Karajía[2][3][4][5], orCarajía) are unusually large pre-IncaChachapoyas culturesarcophagi at theKarajía Archaeological Monumental Zone[6][2] in theUtcubamba Valley, located 18 km northwest of the city ofChachapoyas, Peru inTrita District,Luya Province,Amazonas Region. The site contains eightChachapoyanmummies located on a cliffside, referred to by local residents as the “ancient wise men”.[7]
The Chachapoya culture had the tradition of protecting their dead and located their sarcophagi in protected difficult to get to locations.
The Sarcophagi of Karajía are unique in their genre for their large size, up to 2.50 m high, for their careful making, and, for the fact that they were remained practically intact because of their location atop aravine of difficult access.
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The seven sarcophagi stand up to 2.5 meters tall, constructed of clay, sticks and grasses, with exaggerated jawlines. Their inaccessible location high above a river gorge has preserved them from destruction by looters. However, an earthquake toppled one of the original eight in 1928. They have been radiocarbon dated to the 15th century, coincident with theInca conquest of theChachapoya in the 1470s.[8]
The sarcophagi are of a type particular to the Chachapoya calledpurunmachus. The construction is painted white and overlaid with details of the body and adornment in yellow ochre and two red pigments, such as the feathered tunics and male genitalia visible on the Karajíapurunmachus. Often the solid clay head will boast a second, smaller head atop it. Thepurunmachus of Karajía are unique because of the human skulls that sit atop their heads, visible in the photograph.[9]
Although the model ofburial usingcoffins ofanthropomorphous shape andsarcophagi, was already mentioned in theMercurio Peruano (1791) as part of the cultural area ofChachapoyas, and it deserved the attention ofLouis Langlois (1939) and of the archaeologistsHenry andPaule Reichlen (1950), thisChachapoyas's peculiarity of burying their illustrious deceased was almost completely forgotten. TheAntisuyo Expedition/84 located, atKarajía, the most amazing group of sarcophagi known till then, thanks to references provided byCarlos Torres Mas andMarino Torrejón. It was remaining completely unpublished and still untouched. The Peruvian archaeologistFederico Kauffmann Doig also participated in this work.
Thanks to the support given by members of theClub Andino Peruano, the archaeologists were able to climb 24 m of rocky vertical wall and gain access to the cave where the sarcophagi are located. This place is located to more than 200 m from the bottom of thegorge. The Sarcophagi of Karajía consists of a group of seven sarcophagi. The eighth one collapsed probably during theearthquake of 1928, disappearing in the abyss. Since the sarcophagi are sideways next to each other, the one which collapsed opened some holes in the contiguous sides of the next.
This fact allowed scientists to investigate in detail the content of thissarcophagi and to determine the content of the remaining ones. In this way, the remaining ones did not have to be forced and they remain intact. Inside the open sarcophagus, a mummy was found. It sat on an animal skin and was wrapped in mortuarycloths.Ceramics and diverse objects were accompanying the deceased as gifts. The date obtained byradiocarbon was 1460 AC +60.Rodents andbirds of prey had disturbed theburial, after the holes had appeared in the sarcophagus. The sarcophagus was emptied by scientists to preserve the mummy and its belongings.
The sarcophagi are shaped into big anthropomorphous capsules, made ofclay and mixed withsticks andstones. Only thehead and part of thechest are compact. Both body and head are decorated by red painting of two tones, applied over a white base.
It is believed that the sarcophagi are evocations of the typical form offuneral bundle found in thecoast and in the mountain range, corresponding to the period of theTiahuanaco-Huari. In effect, the anthropomorphous form has been only given in the outlines of the human body, without the forms corresponding to the extremities taking shape. It is necessary to notice that the head of the sarcophagus has received sculptural treatment, and the face is the result of copying in clay funeral masks that were originally done in a wooden table, cut away in a half moon shape to represent the jaw.
The projecting jaw that the sarcophagi present has to be made by having reproduced in clay the flat funeral masks worked in the base of a wooden table. Apparently the faces of the monoliths ofRecuay, thecuchimilcos ofChancay and even that represented in theTumi ofLambayeque, were made in the same way.
Another several groups of sarcophagi present in the region are those ofTingorbamba andChipuric, documented by theAntisuyo Expeditions.
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