Karla Montes World Civilization
On the western coast of South America, Peru is home to the historic Incan Indian Empire.
The importance of funeral rituals and customs date back to the times of early civilization in Peru, which were the Inca’s. The Inca’s set a foundation for the importance of a human’s death. Their beliefs and customs created a base for present rituals in Peru.
Venerating the bodies of the dead was an important act to the Incan Indians. They gave special account to the matter. Even though Inca’s did not believe that the body of a deceased person would ever live again nor serve any useful purpose, they worshiped the bodies of the dead.
It is interesting to realize that the importance of how much a person was esteemed or how much vigor and strength they had, when he grew old, little or no attention was given to him. Only at the time of death would he be taken great care of. His body would be respected and worshiped, so much that even sacrifices would be made for it. Only the bodies of kings or great lords would be mummified and as a result, be preserved intact for many years without any kind of deterioration or foul odor. Personal properties, dishes, and silver would be buried as well.
Before Burial was to take place, the relatives of the deceased would undergo great lamentations and ceremonies. The duration of these lamentations or funeral rites depended on the social status of the deceased. For the death of a great lord, the rites lasted approximately eight days. During this time of lamentation, “chicha” was served to drink. During this funeral rite, dances were performed to the tune of their drums and singing sad melodies. When someone passed away, the relatives and friends of the person who died went into mourning by wearing black cloaks for some time. All through lamentation period, up until the point of burial, those who participated in the ceremony covered their heads with a black cloak. If a lord passed away, their wives would cut their hair to demonstrate a greater depth of sadness.
It must also be noted that not all of the living generally worshiped all of the dead bodies. Not even all of their relatives worshiped them. The dead were worshiped only by those who were descended from then in a direct line. Therefore, they took great care to worship their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and so on as far back as they could remember. This meant that worshiping an uncle or an aunt was not an important part of their ritual. The bodies of the kings and lords were the only ones that were venerated by the rest of the people, in addition to their descendants. This was a strong belief due to the importance and significance they gave to God. It was believed that God made certain people superior and bestowed good fortune upon them. When these superior people would go to heaven, their souls would be in a good position to help and protect those on earth in times of need.
After mourning period and once the body was buried, any property left behind was to be buried. If it was the death of a true noble man, some of his wives would be buried alive in the tomb with him, so he would be accompanied when he made his way into heaven.
It is important to understand the funeral rituals and ceremonies dating back to the Incas. Many funerary rites have been adopted or somewhat kept by present Peruvian rituals. Throughout time, some customs have been eliminated. The most obvious in present generations has been wakes in funeral homes versus waked in the home of the deceased.
Through thorough research, I have been able to obtain some knowledge of funerary rituals and beliefs dating back to my grandparents and my parents’ generation. Many of their beliefs have not changed through out the last eighty years, an so share common grounds in the funerary rituals.
It is a given that religion plays a major role in all kinds of cultures. Peruvians, many being catholic, believe in a supreme being; God. It is because of God that they have life and when a person passes away, it was because God intended it to be that way. He chooses when a person is born and when they must die. However, even though a higher and powerful being takes away a loved one, it does not avoid or ease the pain and sadness inflicted at the loss. This is why Peruvians, such as the Inca’s, go through a period of lamentation and mourning. They honor and respect the body of the deceased.
In my grandparents and parents generation, the preservation of a body is not practiced ritual. The preservation of a body is not a concern due to that the body portrayed as just being the skin that hold our souls. Meaning, the preservation of the body is not of importance, because it will not be in use or affect after life. Nor is it common to bury personal and valuables with the dead. The corpse is simply dressed in their best clothes, most commonly the best suit owned.
Normally, burials take place at most two days after a person has passed away. However, before the burial, friends and relatives gather at the home of the deceased, where his body lays in an open coffin. This is somewhat the ritual Inca’s practiced in their funeral rituals, which was a period called lamentation, or as we presently call it, a wake. During this period of lamentation, which lasted a day, food and drinks were served. A customary Peruvian drink is “chichi morada”, which was also used by the Inca’s. Friends comfort those whom were close to the deceased. Unlike the Inca’s, Peruvians in more present generations mourn and respect the deceased whether it be an uncle, father, aunt, grandmother, grandfather, or cousin. It did not matter whether it was a close relative line. This was because the soul of the deceased would look over all of his family and friends when he had made his way to heaven and reunited with God.
By presenting oneself at the home of the deceased during this lamentation day, showed the respect one held towards the deceased person. Black clothing is a very common ritual amongst many cultures. The only days that friends and family wore black clothing would be on the day of lamentation and the day of the actual burial. Only close family, such as wives, husbands, sons and daughters, will wear black clothing until they believed they were through with mourning.
