How do interactions between empires and Indigenous communities change ritualized behavior and produce new relationships of power? This talk explores the relationship between local mortuary practice and the Inca (15th century) and European (16th century) conquests of the Chincha Valley on Peru’s South Coast.
Dr. Jacob Bongers employs various methods ranging from survey and excavation to drone photography and Bayesian statistical modeling to study a landscape of over 500 graves. Transformation in tomb use and post-mortem manipulation of the dead coincided with Inca and European incursion, demonstrating mortuary practice as a means of agency and adaptability of Chincha communities during one of the most turbulent periods of Peruvian history. It widens the scope of imperialism studies to include a mortuary perspective on the dynamics between empires and local peoples.
Presented by Dr. Jacob Bongers, Society of Fellows Postdoctoral Scholar at Boston University
About the speaker:
Jacob Bongers is an anthropological archaeologist with a PhD in archaeology from the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA. He employs multidisciplinary methodologies built around archaeological science and digital archaeology to investigate how Indigenous communities confront social and environmental change. His doctoral research examined how groups configured ritualized behaviors to deal with imperial conquest in southern Peru. His current research explores how Indigenous communities in highland and coastal Peru mitigate climatic hazards and conflict in everyday life. Prior to joining BU, Bongers conducted archaeological fieldwork in Portugal, Chile, Ethiopia, Oman, and Peru.
Date: November 4, 2022
Time: 3:00pm – 4:00pm EDT
Location: 128 Hope Street, Giddings House
Room: Room 212
Cost: Free
