Experimental archaeology of traditional Andean foods: a contribution from organic residue analysis of replicated Formative cooking vessels from Northwest Argentina

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Organic residue and lipid analyses of ceramic artifacts provide important direct information on subsistence economies and foodways, pottery technology, and exchange and trade. Residue analysis needs to be enhanced by experimental data and reference libraries that provide solid frameworks to construct archaeological interpretations. Inspired by the extensive work on Old World experimental frameworks, this research focuses on South America species of economic and cultural interest within prehispanic societies by presenting the results of experimental and community-based work conducted in the Argentinian Andes with indigenous communities (Tafí del Valle, Tucumán). We partnered with an indigenous potter to replicate ancient cooking pots from the Formative Period (c. 200 BC-AD 800). Next, we cooked different traditional recipes using locally sourced, organic ingredients (maize, quinoa, squash, and llama meat) known to have been grown by villagers in the past. Culinary experiments were repeated several times to emulate daily use. Pots were buried for two months to simulate decay and then sampled for residue analysis by GC-MS and GC-C-IRMS. This poster contributes to understanding the agentive role of foodways in the adoption of farming lifeways by providing an interpretative frame for the identification of absorbed residues of traditional Andean villager foods and meals.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 41510.0