Eating and Drinking at Chavín de Huántar: What the Microbotanical Evidence Can (and Can’t) Tell Us

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Chavín de Huántar’s Contribution to Understanding the Central Andean Formative: Results and Perspectives" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper presents the cumulative findings, to date, of ongoing microbotanical analyses carried with the aim of interpreting internal and external interactions from diverse contexts at Chavín de Huántar. Since microbotanical analysis offers us a view into the production and consumption of foods and beverages, we have a privileged, albeit limited, perspective on the nature of Formative Period identities. Cuisine is a powerful marker of identity, not only in the consumption of foodstuffs, but also in its preparation and consumption. The preparation of food and drink is a laborious process that requires specific knowledge, context, and materials to complete, and both the act and circumstances of eating and drinking vary according to sociocultural norms. Further, the consumption of diverse foods in certain contexts points to different uses of space, as well as the different roles that people may have played in relation to the activities carried out within and beyond the monumental core of the site. Moreover, the presence of a large proportion of nonlocal ingredients helps us to better understand Chavín de Huántar’s interactions with outside groups.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Chavín de Huántar’s Contribution to Understanding the Central Andean Formative: Results and Perspectives   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40097.0