Head Extraction, Interregional Exchange, and Political Strategies of Control at the Site of Wata Wata, Kallawaya Territory, Bolivia, During the Transition between the Late Formative and Tiwanaku Periods (A.D. 200-800)

A rare archaeological discovery at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tiwanaku, Bolivia, reveals evidence of trophy head taking during the transition between the Late Formative and Tiwanaku periods (A.D. 200-800). Unlike other Andean cultures where such practices are only depicted iconographically, this study presents physical remains of three individuals subjected to extreme violence, including beheading, cranial fracturing, defleshing, jaw removal, and possible eye extraction. The heads were found in a ritual cache at Wata Wata, a trade and ceremonial center in the Kallawaya region, suggesting they served as a strategic metaphor to strip power from the individuals, given the skull's symbolic significance in Andean culture. This finding sheds light on political strategies of control during this transitional period, particularly in a key interregional exchange corridor.

Becker, S. K., & Alconini, S. (2015). Head Extraction, Interregional Exchange, and Political Strategies of Control at the Site of Wata Wata, Kallawaya Territory, Bolivia, During the Transition between the Late Formative and Tiwanaku Periods (A.D. 200-800). Latin American Antiquity, 26(1), 30–48. https://doi.org/10.7183/1045-6635.26.1.30