Genesis Torres Morales, Anthropology Graduate Student

The Chimú (AD 900-1470) was the second largest Andean empire. Emerging in the Moche Valley of Peru, the Chimú extended their reach from the northern border of Ecuador, south to the Chillón valley of Peru. They built their capital Chan Chan on an empty beach near modern day Trujillo, however, the Chimú also interacted with the previously abandoned capital of the Southern Moche State- the Huacas de Moche. The Chimú remodeled and the religious center of the site, and interred their dead in pre-existing platforms at Huaca de la Luna, and scattered throughout the urban sector. This research presents preliminary findings of 32 burials excavated from Huaca de la Luna or the urban center. The objective of this presentation is to begin a conversation about the Chimú from a bioarchaeology perspective. We analyzed cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, periosteal, and linear enamel hypoplasia to chart stress. Caries, abscess, antemortem tooth loss, wear, and periodontal disease was analyzed in order to reconstruct diet.