The Dead and the Afterlife: The Andes
From high‑altitude sacrifices to elaborate tombs, the Andes reveal diverse ways societies honored the dead and imagined the soul’s journey.
Chapters
- 0:07 Sacrificial Peaks
- 1:08 Elite Tombs of the Lowlands
- 2:35 Cliffside and Cloud‑Forest Burials
- 3:01 Mummies in the Capital
On-screen text
- 0:07 Sacrificial Peaks
- 0:32 Capacocha: mountain sacrifice Tradition / scripture · Pedro Cieza de León, Crónica del Perú, 1553
- 0:50 Inca afterlife: hanac pacha Tradition / scripture · Garcilaso de la Vega, Comentarios Reales, 1609
- 1:08 Elite Tombs of the Lowlands
- 1:15 Elite Tombs of the Lowlands
- 1:32 Lord of Sipán: Moche elite burial Historical record · Lord of Sipán tomb, Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán
- 1:50 Sipán gold funerary mask Historical record · Gold mask of the Lord of Sipán, Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán
- 2:08 Nazca adobe tomb offerings Historical record · Nazca necropolis at Cahuachi, 1990s
- 2:26 Wari elite seated burials Historical record · Wari cemetery at Huancané, Peru, excavated 2005
- 2:35 Cliffside and Cloud‑Forest Burials
- 2:52 Wari elite seated burials Historical record · Wari cemetery at Huancané, Peru, excavated 2005
- 3:01 Mummies in the Capital
- 3:08 Mummies in the Capital
- 3:25 Machu Picchu sealed chamber Historical record · Temple of the Sun, Machu Picchu, Hiram Bingham 1912
- 3:43 Cuzco royal mummies consulted Historical record · Royal mummies of Cuzco, Casa del Alabado, Cuzco
- 4:01 Inca afterlife: hanac pacha Tradition / scripture · Garcilaso de la Vega, Comentarios Reales, 1609
Sources
Historical record: Mummy of Juanita, Llullaillaco, Museo de Alta Montaña, Salta · Lord of Sipán tomb, Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán · Gold mask of the Lord of Sipán, Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán · Nazca necropolis at Cahuachi, 1990s · Wari cemetery at Huancané, Peru, excavated 2005 · Karajía sarcophagi, Chachapoya culture, Amazonas, Peru · Temple of the Sun, Machu Picchu, Hiram Bingham 1912 · Royal mummies of Cuzco, Casa del Alabado, Cuzco
Tradition / scripture: Pedro Cieza de León, Crónica del Perú, 1553 · Garcilaso de la Vega, Comentarios Reales, 1609 · Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala, Nueva Corónica, 1615 · Bernabé Cobo, Historia del Nuevo Mundo, 1653
The Institute's interpretation: John H. Rowe, Inca Culture, 1946 · María Rostworowski, History of the Inca Realm, 1999
Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 92 s of CPU.
Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (14) — the next things to make
- Sacrificial Peaks: Show how high‑altitude rites linked death, the mountains, and the afterlife.
- Archaeologists in 1999 uncover the ice‑preserved mummy in a stone chamber high on the snow‑capped Llullaillaco volcano.
- Animated rendering of Guaman Poma’s illustration, showing a procession of spirits on a sun‑lit path.
- Close‑up of the polished gold mask displayed on a pedestal, light glinting off its intricate eyebrows.
- Archaeologists open a sun‑baked adobe chamber, revealing rows of colorful textiles and tiny clay figurines.
- A steep limestone wall dotted with dozens of wooden sarcophagi, each slightly ajar to reveal a wrapped mummy.
- A steep limestone wall dotted with dozens of wooden sarcophagi, each slightly ajar to reveal a wrapped mummy.
- A steep limestone wall dotted with dozens of wooden sarcophagi, each slightly ajar to reveal a wrapped mummy.
- Pilgrims in traditional garb shoulder wrapped bundles along a narrow mountain trail.
- Pilgrims in traditional garb shoulder wrapped bundles along a narrow mountain trail.
- Hands of a specialist untie a colorful quipu, focusing on a cluster of knots labeled with red cords.
- Hands of a specialist untie a colorful quipu, focusing on a cluster of knots labeled with red cords.
- A modest household altar with a wrapped mummy, coca leaves, and a bowl of chicha.
- A modest household altar with a wrapped mummy, coca leaves, and a bowl of chicha.