Bling, Bobbins, and Battle Arms
The contents of a Moche mummy's grave raises questions about ancient Peruvian gender roles
Mon, August 20, 2007
The other day, I found myself stopped in my tracks, staring at a striking image splashed across a poster for the Seattle Tattoo Convention: a woman’s back tattooed with an intricately fantastical, mystical spider. It wasn’t the festival that drew me in, but rather the acute similarity between the picture and the tattoos decorating the over 1,500 year old body of the Lady of Cao, a Moche mummy discovered in Peru last year.
The story of the Lady of Cao has stayed with me not simply because of her detailed tattoos, but because her story raises fascinating questions about historical Andean gender roles. When the joint Peruvian and American archaeological team unearthed the mummy last May, they found that the Lady of Cao was buried with not only the gold, jewelry, and headdresses that indicate high stature, but also with a fascinating combination of weaving materials and—most surprisingly—a major cache of spear throwers and war clubs. This mix of grave-materials was extraordinary—Moche women were frequently buried with riches and weaving tools, but there is no other documentation of this kind of weaponry in a Moche woman’s grave.
Though it has been established that many of the highest-status Moche religious figures were women, Moche women were not known to be involved in the state’s war-like activities. The National Geographic article detailing the find guessed that perhaps the war clubs were carried by the Lady of Cao’s entourage (an amusingly idea in light of today’s celebrity-entourage culture), and another article in Salon.com’s Broadsheet speculated that the weapons could have been funeral gifts from men. Whatever the case, Tulane anthropologist John Verano confirmed in the National Geographic story that, “The war clubs are clear symbols not only of combat but of power.”
Perhaps the Lady of Cao was a rare female political leader who wielded a real-politik type of governance by fear. Or perhaps she was a priestess who oversaw military sects of society. Or maybe she was a warrior herself, achieving status through battle like so many male Andean leaders. One article detailing Andean gender roles explains that women and men were assigned gender-specific tasks—women, for example, oversaw the creation of textiles, a process and product given extraordinarily high priority in Andean society. The article goes on to mention, however, that there are examples of Andean women warriors and war leaders in Inca legend. Interestingly, though, “these [warrior] women also fulfilled female gender roles,” as they are described not only as war leaders but also as mates, mothers, and widows.
Like Wonder Woman and her super-powered accessories (perhaps the coolest concept ever – “In your satin tights, fighting for your rights!”), the Lady of Cao’s combo of bling and weaving materials with heavy-duty weaponry suggests that she played a high status role that involved both “male” war-related activities and “female” textile work. One Broadsheet reader commented, “Looks like this ancient Peruvian woman may have combined family and a career—in ass-kicking.”
Who knows, by the time the diva crew touches down in Lima next May for 2008 diva tour to Peru, the Lady of Cao may have revealed a few more of her secrets.
the high-minded lowdown from holly morris and the diva blog crew
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It is also interesting to think about how much influence women (or any individuals) had over the materials that went into the grave with them. What if most Moche women filled “feminine” weaving-type roles, while this high-status woman was exclusively a warrior? In such a case, those responsible for her funeral cache may have put in weaving materials out of tradition, despite their lack of relevance to the Lady of Cao.
Whether exclusively warrior, or warrior and weaver, the Lady of Cao sounds like a valuable role model to modern America in the area of flexible gender roles.
Well, the Lady of Cao does it all...really wonder about her story.
Does anyone know if the archaeologists were able to decipher her “tattoo” markings - if they were simply ornamentation or if the markings revealed anything about who she was and what her life was like. Would be fun to “meet” her.
How is it that women could become subservient to men after having clearly demonstrated their strength, power, and skill? I just don’t get it. what a great story!
Interesting article; thanks for sharing the info.
I love that you mentioned Wonderwoman and her slogan… inspiring to women everywhere!
Interesting article, but I would steer away from championing “ass-kicking” as a trait somehow more valuable than textile weaving. There’s nothing admirable about war (or war like ways).
I thought we had gotten away from this “all things male are better” universe—try to separate the trait from gender, and then decide on its utility.
Never thought about the Lady of Cao-an interesting read!