﻿S. 
  COLOMBIA 
  — 
  HERNANDEZ 
  DE 
  ALBA 
  949 
  

  

  graves 
  were 
  "large 
  and 
  deep," 
  and 
  chiefs 
  were 
  buried 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  

   their 
  wives 
  and 
  with 
  food 
  and 
  chicha 
  (Cieza, 
  1932, 
  ch. 
  32). 
  

  

  In 
  Colonial 
  times, 
  according 
  to 
  Del 
  Castillo, 
  the 
  Pdez 
  removed 
  a 
  

   dying 
  person 
  from 
  his 
  hut 
  but 
  burned 
  the 
  house 
  if 
  anyone 
  died 
  in 
  it. 
  

   They 
  had 
  given 
  up 
  cremation, 
  however, 
  and 
  buried 
  in 
  the 
  earth, 
  

   building 
  a 
  fence 
  around 
  the 
  grave. 
  Today, 
  they 
  cover 
  the 
  corpse 
  

   with 
  a 
  white 
  shroud 
  and 
  place 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  with 
  candles 
  

   and 
  flowers. 
  Here 
  it 
  is 
  watched 
  over 
  one 
  night 
  by 
  relatives 
  and 
  

   friends, 
  and 
  then 
  buried 
  in 
  a 
  cemetery, 
  where 
  each 
  relative 
  tosses 
  

   some 
  earth 
  into 
  the 
  grave 
  saying, 
  "Go 
  with 
  God." 
  The 
  mourners 
  

   then 
  bathe 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  without 
  disrobing, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  evening 
  hold 
  a 
  

   banquet 
  with 
  chicha, 
  sancocho 
  (vegetable 
  stew), 
  meat, 
  and 
  tortillas. 
  

   For 
  9 
  days 
  a 
  cross, 
  a 
  container 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  a 
  candle 
  must 
  be 
  kept 
  

   on 
  the 
  deceased's 
  bed, 
  the 
  water 
  being 
  kept 
  there 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  soul 
  may 
  

   drink. 
  The 
  relatives 
  pray 
  every 
  night. 
  A 
  month 
  after 
  the 
  death, 
  a 
  

   shaman 
  purifies 
  the 
  house. 
  The 
  relatives 
  and 
  friends 
  kill 
  a 
  pig, 
  cut 
  it 
  

   lengthwise 
  in 
  two 
  halves, 
  one 
  for 
  the 
  shaman, 
  the 
  other 
  for 
  the 
  cere- 
  

   monial 
  banquet. 
  The 
  shaman 
  sweeps 
  the 
  house 
  floor 
  with 
  the 
  pig's 
  

   legs 
  and 
  some 
  special 
  branches, 
  which 
  are 
  later 
  buried. 
  He 
  chews 
  

   coca, 
  says 
  some 
  unintelligible 
  words, 
  and 
  spits 
  leaves 
  on 
  the 
  house 
  

   walls. 
  The 
  residents 
  and 
  guests 
  then 
  enter 
  the 
  house 
  for 
  the 
  final 
  

   proof 
  of 
  purification. 
  The 
  shaman, 
  standing 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  

   house, 
  gives 
  a 
  dog 
  half 
  a 
  tortilla. 
  If 
  the 
  dog 
  does 
  not 
  die, 
  he 
  divides 
  

   the 
  other 
  half 
  among 
  those 
  present. 
  He 
  does 
  the 
  same 
  with 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  

   cooked 
  meat, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  dog 
  still 
  does 
  not 
  die, 
  he 
  blows 
  chicha 
  in 
  all 
  

   directions 
  in 
  the 
  hut, 
  and 
  then 
  divides 
  what 
  remains 
  with 
  those 
  

   present. 
  The 
  hut 
  and 
  food 
  are 
  then 
  declared 
  clean 
  The 
  food 
  is 
  then 
  

   eaten 
  and 
  much 
  chicha 
  drunk. 
  

  

  The 
  modern 
  burial 
  customs 
  of 
  the 
  Moguex 
  differ 
  somewhat 
  from 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  Pdez. 
  The 
  former 
  dance 
  for 
  9 
  days 
  before 
  and 
  after 
  bury- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  dead 
  child. 
  Because 
  of 
  the 
  special 
  ceremonies 
  for 
  adults, 
  young 
  

   Indians 
  gather 
  and 
  prepare 
  wood 
  to 
  be 
  burned 
  at 
  their 
  own 
  funerals. 
  

   When 
  an 
  adult 
  dies, 
  relatives 
  and 
  friends 
  bring 
  wood, 
  food, 
  and 
  money 
  

   to 
  the 
  house, 
  and 
  work 
  for 
  his 
  family, 
  who 
  pray 
  and 
  weep 
  for 
  3 
  days 
  

   over 
  the 
  body. 
  On 
  the 
  fourth 
  day, 
  they 
  carry 
  the 
  body 
  in 
  a 
  procession 
  

   to 
  the 
  cemetery. 
  Upon 
  passing 
  a 
  house 
  or 
  inn 
  where 
  the 
  deceased 
  

   was 
  accustomed 
  to 
  take 
  chicha, 
  they 
  stop 
  and 
  drink. 
  The 
  burial 
  pro- 
  

   cedure 
  is 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Pdez. 
  Back 
  at 
  the 
  house, 
  they 
  purify 
  the 
  

   objects 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  deceased 
  over 
  the 
  fire, 
  and 
  leave 
  his 
  clothes 
  and 
  

   the 
  hide 
  he 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  bed 
  at 
  the 
  river 
  9 
  days, 
  after 
  which 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  

   used. 
  Meanwhile, 
  the 
  guests 
  remain 
  with 
  the 
  deceased's 
  family, 
  help- 
  

   ing 
  them. 
  On 
  the 
  9th 
  day, 
  they 
  extinguish 
  all 
  lights 
  and 
  go 
  to 
  the 
  

   nearest 
  hill 
  to 
  mourn, 
  while 
  a 
  shaman 
  remains 
  in 
  the 
  house 
  to 
  catch 
  

   the 
  soul 
  of 
  the 
  deceased. 
  He 
  chews 
  coca, 
  spits 
  it 
  in 
  all 
  directions, 
  and 
  

   beats 
  around 
  with 
  sticks 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  soul 
  come 
  out. 
  Then 
  he 
  lights 
  

  

  