Social Transformations During the Late Formative Period: Evidenced by the Emergence of Llama Husbandry and Shifts in Animal Utilization at the Pacopampa Site

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Social Dynamics in the North Highlands of Peru during the Formative Period: Pacopampa project’s Contribution for Understanding the Early Complex Societies in the Andes" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

By 500 BC, domesticated camelids had spread to Peru’s Northern Highlands. The complexity and societal development that emerged in the region have been attributed to the social networks facilitated using llamas as pack animals. However, the precise role of domesticated camelids during the Formative Period remains ambiguous. We analyzed camelid skeletal remains excavated from the Pacopampa site to gain insights into their actual utilization. Osteometric analysis identified the camelids as llamas, with no evidence of alpacas in the samples. The frequency of body parts, distribution of butchering marks, and mortality profiles indicated the ritual consumption of the fleshy portions of young llamas, with four immature individuals being sacrificed. Although no direct evidence of secondary product use was found in the animal bone material, the increasing number of artifacts associated with textile production suggests that llama fiber might have resulted from herding practices. Llama husbandry, initiated in the late Formative Period, represents a synthesis of knowledge, technology, and rituals, and should not be viewed merely as a shift in subsistence strategies. Consequently, the social transformation from the mid to late Formative Period should be interpreted as a closer integration between agricultural communities and llama-keeping groups.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Social Dynamics in the North Highlands of Peru during the Formative Period: Pacopampa project’s Contribution for Understanding the Early Complex Societies in the Andes   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50173