Lords of Sipan: A True Story of Pre-Inca Tombs, Archaeology, and Crime

166 Pages·2011·2.28 MB·English

by  Sidney D. Kirkpatrick

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Lords of Sipan, A Tale of Pre-Inca Tombs, Archaeology and Crime
© 2011 by Sidney D. Kirkpatrick

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission
in writing from the copyright owner. Mr. Kirkpatrick can be contacted through his
agent, Richard Morris, at Janklow and Nesbit, 445 Park Ave., New York, N.Y.
10022, or by visiting his web site: sidneykirkpatrick.com

Also by author Sidney D. Kirkpatrick

Non-fiction:

A Cast of Killers
Turning the Tide
Edgar Cayce, An American Prophet
The Revenge of Thomas Eakins
Hitler's Holy Relics

All the pen and ink illustrations that appear throughout this book, and on the cover,
are taken from original Moche designs and motifs found in the Moche Archive at
UCLA, courtesy of Donna McClelland and Christopher Donnan. Paintings of the
archaeological finds at Huaca Rajada are courtesy of Ned M. Seidler. The
photographs of archaeological personnel and artifacts are courtesy of Walter Alva
and Guillermo Cock.

"I'm often asked how a man can live his entire life excavating under the hot sun in
the parched desert sands. But that's its main attraction. Because the same hot sun
and parched sand that protects the monuments of the past also preserves their
makers."

—Walter Alva

This book is dedicated to Andean scholar Guillermo Cock
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CONTENTS:
Illustrations
Part 1: Seeds from Heaven
Part 2: House of the Moon
Part 3: Temple of the Fanged Deity
Part 4: Lord of Sipan
Part 5: High Priest of Sipan
Part 6: Old Lord of Sipan
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes

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Above: Arial view of the Huaca Rajada archaeological site at Sipan. The two
"hills" (center and upper left side) are actually pre-Columbian pyramids whose
adobe brick "faces" have been washed away by centuries of El Nino rains.
Excavation is underway (lower right) at the third smaller pyramid where the
discoveries were made.
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Illustration showing the layers of ancient construction and burial chambers
unearthed at Huaca Rajada. With each new burial another layer of bricks was
added.
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Moche "stirrup-spout" ceramic displaying a fine-line drawing of a Moche Lord and
ceremonial figures wearing distinctive helmets, jewelry, weapons and instruments.

Next: an artist's illustration of the Lord of Sipan's burial possessions found at
Huaca Rajada.
Key to the above illustration.
Beneath the coffin's three planked lid: (1) feather ornaments, (2) both above and
below the body. Fabric banners with gilded copper platelets depicting a figure with
turquoise-bead bracelets lay face up above the body (3) and facedown below. (4)
Copper struts (5) made the lower banners rigid. Eleven chest coverings, called
pectorals, of shell and copper beads (6) also appear in layers. A gilded copper
headdress (7) lay atop a textile headband to secure it. (8) An outer shirt covered
with gilded copper platelets and cone shaped tassels at the hem (9) and a simple
inner white garment (10) clothed the body. The skull, face, ears, neck and chest
were festooned with gold silver and copper ornaments (11) Turquoise and gold-
bead bracelets adorned the forearms (12) Gold and copper ingots lay on his hands;
the right held a gold rattle (13) the left a copper knife. (14) Seashells (15) lay at the
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his feet, clad in ceremonial copper sandals (16). Beneath the ruler a massive gold
headdress ornament (17) overlays a wood support frame (18) Under it were
crescent-shaped gold bells, two attached to back-flaps of gold and copper. (19) A
small gold headdress ornament was found near a copper headdress, chin strap (20)
The significance of copper strips (21) remains a mystery. Three shrouds, two sewn
with gilded copper platelets (22) enfolded the contents of the coffin, fastened
together with copper strapping (23). At the very bottom lay shells, a miniature war
club and shield (24), and copper-pointed hunting darts (25).
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Above: Fine-line drawing from a stirrup-spout ceramic depicting a Moche lord
participating in a sacrificial ceremony as believed to have taken place atop the
Huaca Rajada pyramid.
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Above: Gold and turquoise ear ornament from the tomb of the Lord of Sipan.
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