Reconstructing a Recuay Feasting Event at Hualcayán, Peru through Ceramic Analysis

Summary

Although research of the Recuay Culture has heavily focused on the practices and materials of Recuay feasts, these studies are limited to a few archaeological sites. Consequently, the variation of Recuay feasting practices between communities in highland Ancash is still unclear. This poster presents a typological and spatial analysis of Recuay ceramics excavated from the archaeological site of Hualcayán to reveal the local ritual practices of food preparation and consumption during the Early Intermediate Period (1-600 AD) in this ancient community. This ceramic assemblage was recovered from a large D-shaped patio group enclosure in which ceramics were burned, smashed in place, and associated with a variety of carbonized plants, suggesting they are the remains of feasting. The typology of the ceramic forms will be used to illustrate the range of food practices during a distinct feasting event in this D-shaped structure and the spatial arrangement of separate food preparation and consumption areas will be used to recreate the specific activities of feasting. Finally, these results will be compared with ceramic assemblages from other Recuay community sites in order to examine variation in Recuay feasting.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage