This volume brings together essays on the nature of political organization of the Moche, a complex pre-Inca society that existed on the north coast of Peru from c. 100 to 800 CE. Since the discovery of the royal tombs of Sipan in 1987, the Moche have become one of the best-known pre-Hispanic cultures of the Americas and the focus of a number of archaeological projects. But the nature of Moche political organization is still debated. Some scholars view the Moche as a monolithic state, others see a clear distinction between a northern and southern Moche polity, and yet others argue that the most accurate model is one in which each valley contained an independent polity. In a presentation of new data and new perspectives, the authors debate these competing theories. Based on a set of papers presented by sixteen international scholars at the Dumbarton Oaks Pre-Columbian Studies symposium held in Lima, Peru, in 2004, this volume marks an important point in the development of Moche archaeology and will be a landmark work in Pre-Columbian studies.

This work is an archaeological investigation of the Moche culture of northern Peru (ca. AD 100-800). It is a study of Moche burial patterns and social structure. One of the main objectives of this research was to bring together information available on Moche burials from different settlements and from contexts dating to the Early, Middle, and Late Moche periods as well as the Transitional period. General patterns regarding burial context and energy expenditure are identified. The nature of social status is explored and some general principles of social structure are detailed. Issues regarding funerary rites of passage, delayed burial, grave re-entry, and funerary specialists are also discussed with regard to Moche representation of death.