Flies, the Dead and Offerings
Recent archaeoentomological investigations of a funeral platform at the Mochica site of Huaca de la Luna, Peru, have highlighted the importance of necrophagous insects in the funeral rites of these Indians. A rich iconography showing flies flying over dancing skeletons or accompanying future sacrificed individuals corroborates the existence of singular mortuary practices, and suggests that probably these insects had a psychopomp function. The originality of this emblematic site of pre-Columbian America does not end there, as other insects, associated with funerary deposits, provide us relevant information about the nature of the offerings designed to accompany the deceased in his journey to the beyond.