Evidence of diet and food consumption from Chavin de Huantar during the Middle and Late Andean Formative (1200 – 550 BCE)

Summary

Excavations carried out at the Wacheqsa sector at Chavín de Huantar identified archaeological contexts from the Middle Formative (1200 – 900 cal BCE) and Late Formative (900 – 550 Cal BCE). In this paper we present preliminary results of starch analysis carried on in culinary equipment (ceramics) retrieved from domestic occupations from the Middle and Late Formative periods and a large midden, originated from the discard of feasting remains during the Late Formative period. Microbotanical analysis performed on the ceramic assemblage retrieved in these spatial units revealed a variety of plant food resources. Two types of maize, wild grasses, chili peppers, and olluco were identified. Maize was overwhelmingly the most common taxon present, and some granules exhibited signs of grinding, boiling, and possibly fermentation which could be indicative of chicha consumption within the Wacheqsa sector. This evidence may suggest patterns of consumption among the spatial units identified as well as vessel use specialization for food production, having at the same time implications in food procurement and resource management strategies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17209