What the Shell: the Zooarchaeology of Cerro San Isidro, Peru

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Zooarchaeologists have extensively documented the importance of marine resources in the ancient Andes, and the first field season at Cerro San Isidro (Ancash, Peru) proves no different. The multi-component hilltop site lies in the agriculturally rich 'Moro Pocket' of the middle Nepeña Valley, at least an eight-hour walk from the ocean on the north-central coast. Summer 2019's excavations focused on an elite compound, documenting intermittent occupations from the Late Formative (c. 600 BCE) through Late Intermediate Period (c. 1470 CE). Most identifiable vertebrate bones are camelid, with cut and burn marks indicating that these animals provided food in addition to transportation. While both aquatic and terrestrial animals are present, four marine bivalve species (rock-perching mussels 'Perumytilus purpuratus' and 'Semimytilus algosus,' and sand-dwelling clams 'Donax obesulus' and 'Mesodesma donacium') dominate an assemblage that is taxonomically rich but not diverse. Relative frequencies of mollusk taxa and corresponding habitats resemble those of Late and Final Formative lower valley sites Huambacho, Caylán, and Samanco, implying that Cerro San Isidro sourced seafood from the same environments and enjoyed trade ties with this neighboring polity. However, better chronological control is needed to understand how site residents' tastes may have changed over time.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33560