Diet During the Late Initial Period (1100–800 BC) in the Chavín Heartland: New Data from Canchas Uckro (North-Central Peru)

Abstract

During the late Initial Period (c. 1100-800 BC), the Conchucos region of highland Peru witnessed the formation of the ceremonial and “proto-urban” center of Chavín de Huántar (c. 1000-500/400 BC). An important question regarding Chavín de Huántar centers on the nature of its subsistence economy during the time when it was first founded. In this paper, we present new results from zooarchaeological, starch granule, and stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) analyses to reconstruct diet from Canchas Uckro, a settlement located in Chavín de Huántar's heartland region. Founded c. 1100 BC and abandoned just after 800 BC, Canchas Uckro provides insight into socioeconomic processes during the early phases of Chavín de Huántar. Extant faunal remains suggest deer comprised an important component of the diet, while camelids constitute a minor proportion of the assemblage. Starch granules recovered from the pottery indicate that domesticated cultigens (maize, potato, and manioc) were obtained from different highland production zones. δ13C and δ15N analysis of a sample of human skeletal remains, coupled with Stable Isotope Analysis in R (SIAR) mixing models, demonstrate that C3 plants constitute most of the diet, while maize was not intensively consumed. δ13C and δ15N further indicate that deer made up 25-50% of the diet. The results of this study add to a gro wing corpus of data on subsistence practices in the north-central and northern highlands of Peru prior to the widespread adoption of domesticated camelids.