Bodies among Fragments

Abstract

Inhumation and cremation usually are studied in isolation regardless of the fact that they may be practiced in the same culture and time period. Among the Tucson Basin Hohokam in the Prehispanic American Southwest cremation was the main funeral custom and inhumation was practiced at a very low frequency throughout the Preclassic (AD 700–1150) and Classic (AD 1150–1450/1500) periods. This chapter explores changes through time in non-normative burial customs of inhumation from ten Tucson Basin (Arizona) Hohokam archaeological sites by exploring both biological reconstruction of bodies and posthumous treatments within and between sites. Inhumations are contrasted with cremations to explore how they are related but distinct practices of remembrance, and it is argued that critical and contextualized approaches to the study of non-normative burials are necessary in order to reconstruct the complexity of funeral customs and their associated cultural significance through time. The results provide a glimpse of social variation and multiple social groups within the Tucson Basin Hohokam sites.