Understanding Mortuary Practices: Archaeological Evidence from Mulanay, Quezon Province, Philippines

Nida T. Cuevas

Archaeological investigations in the Philippines and Island Southeast Asia have revealed substantial variability in mortuary practices, providing important insights into cultural chronology and patterns of regional interaction. This study examines such variability in Southeastern Luzon, Philippines, based on the recent archaeological research conducted in the municipalities of Catanauan and Mulanay, Quezon Province. Excavations have documented burial contexts involving jar burials and stone sarcophagus interments dating approximately from 2000 to 1000 years before present. Archaeological evidence from sites in Mulanay, particularly the coastal area of Sitio Santa Rosa and at Mt. Kamhantik in Sitio Buenavista, indicates the presence of two distinct mortuary traditions within the same geographic region. These burial traditions likely represent different cultural phases or temporal contexts and are characterised by the use of diverse mortuary containers and burial technologies. Despite these differences, both traditions consistently utilized the geographical topography of Mulanay, suggesting that ancient communities may have perceived this landscape as a sacred environment appropriate for burial grounds. By analysing the spatial contexts of these sites, the study identifies recurring environmental and topographic patterns that suggest to culturally defined standards in the selection of mortuary spaces. Through a comparative approach that integrates archaeological and ethnographic data, the research argues that principles of landscape selection – such as the preference for elevated limestone formations and coastal zones – reflect enduring cosmological concepts that structured burial practices in the region.