To Feed the Miner and to Feed the Mine: Some Thoughts on the Macrobotanical Assemblage from Mina Primavera, Nasca Region, Peru

Summary

Mina Primavera was a hematite mine exploited during the first part of the Early Intermediate Period by members of Nasca society. Its exceptional preservation conditions have led to the recovery of a large assemblage of botanical remains. Recent analysis of the ubiquity and diversity of botanical species allow us to reconstruct consumption practices that took place as part of mining activities. However, observation of taphonomic processes and stratigraphic distribution of the hundreds of maize cobs recovered open possibilities for different interpretations of the activities that occurred within the mine during and after the peak phase of exploitation. We outline different hypotheses to explain the state of the maize remains and the contexts in which they were encountered.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Like Frejoles in a Pod: Examining the Current State of Paleoethnobotany in Peru   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage