The Importance of Maize in Initial Period and Early Horizon Peru
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Ch014-P369364.qxd 20/2/2006 4:56 PM Page 187 CHAPTER 14 The Importance of Maize in Initial Period and Early Horizon Peru ROBERT H. TYKOT*, NIKOLAAS J. VAN DER MERWE†, AND RICHARD L. BURGER‡ *Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida Tampa, Florida †Archaeology Department, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa ‡Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut Introduction 187 gen and apatite from Pacopampa in highland northern Peru, Archaeological Sites Tested 188 and Cardal and Tablada de Lurin in the Lurin Valley on Stable Isotope Analysis 191 the central coast. Measurement of δ13C in apatite, which Results and Discussion 193 reflects the whole diet, is now recognized as an essential Conclusion 195 complement to δ13C and δ15N determinations for collagen, which represent only dietary protein, especially when both maize and marine foods may have been consumed. Hair seg- ments from Mina Perdida, near the coast, are being ana- Glossary lyzed to assess short-term or seasonal variations in diet. Cardal A late Initial Period complex site in the lower The Pacopampa results are consistent with data from Lurin Valley with maize phytoliths recovered from a Chavín de Huantar and Huaricoto, indicating that maize was public center. of secondary importance in highland subsistence systems Early Horizon First millennium BC period in Peru char- during the Initial Period and Early Horizon Period. Near acterized by such complex sites as Chavin de Huantar. the coast in Lurin, marine foods were dietary staples, Mina Perdida The oldest of the Initial Period U-shaped although maize consumption increased during the first mil- centers in the lower Lurin Valley, with special packets of lennium BC. These dietary reconstructions are important for preserved hair found in a ritual context. understanding the development of intensive agricultural Pacopampa A large late Initial Period–Early Horizon systems in coastal and highland Peru and the complex rela- public center in the northern highlands with evidence for tionship between the subsistence economy and the emer- significant contact with Chavin de Huantar. gence of early civilizations. Tablada de Lurin An extensive cemetery complex in the lower Lurin Valley dating to the final centuries of the INTRODUCTION early Horizon to the initial centuries of the Early Inter- mediate Period. In Burger and van de Merwe’s 1990 article, it was con- The relationship between food production and the develop- cluded that maize was not the staple of highland Chavin civ- ment of complex societies has been an important focus of ilization in the Mosna Valley or for the highland populations anthropological research in Peru, where maize traditionally prior to this time in the neighboring Callejon de Huaylas [8]. was assumed to have been an important staple crop for However, it was recognized that this conclusion was not Chavín civilization (ca. 850–200 BC) along the coast and in assumed to be valid for the other regions that played a role the highlands. Recent macrobotanical and chemical investi- in stimulating Chavin civilization during the Initial Period gations have raised doubts about this hypothesis. or that interacted with it during Early Horizon. The differ- In this study the relative contributions of maize and ent ecological conditions further to the north in the high- marine resources to pre-Hispanic Peruvian diet was deter- lands of the Department of Cajamarca and in the arid coastal mined through stable isotope analysis of human bone colla- drainages of the Pacific created different challenges for Copyright © 2006 by Academic Press. Histories of Maize 187 All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. Ch014-P369364.qxd 20/2/2006 4:56 PM Page 188 188 R. H. Tykot et al. farming from those at Chavin de Huantar and could have led Early Horizon. Its most conspicuous remains consist of a to the incorporation of maize into the diet at different times series of terraced stone platforms with rectangular plazas, and in different ways. In recognition of this, Burger and van stone sculpture, masonry columns, and an elaborate stone- der Merwe [8] wrote: lined drainage system. Pacopampa was considered to be a “colony” of Chavin de Huantar by Rebecca Carrion Cachot Moreover, the far northern highlands are better suited for maize cultivation and less well suited for camelid herding because they [10], but subsequent excavations at the site by Rosas and are lower and moister. Until additional research is carried out, the Shady [27, 28], Flores [16], Fung [17], and Morales [24, 25] role of maize in the development of the pre-Chavin and Chavin- have established the local character and development of this related cultures in these highland areas and on the coast remains northern site, which is located only 150 kilometers south of very much an open question. the Ecuadorian border. Nevertheless, there seems to have The analysis of the samples reported and discussed in this been significant contact between Pacopampa and Chavin de chapter are an attempt to use isotope analysis to address the Huantar throughout its occupation, and the ties between the question of maize consumption in some of the coastal and sites were particularly close during Early Horizon. northern highland sites that played such an important role in Today, Pacopampa is found within the District of Quero- the development of Chavin de Huantar. Although the coto, Province of Chota, in the Department of Cajamarca number of samples is limited due to the scarcity of osteo- at an elevation of 2140 meters above sea level (masl). The logical and other human remains recovered from these ceremonial core of Pacopampa covers approximately 10 archaeological centers, the findings shed light on dietary pat- hectares, an area comparable to the monumental core of terning and can serve as the basis for hypotheses that will Chavin de Huantar. As at Chavin de Huantar, some residen- be tested in the future as additional samples become avail- tial occupation exists at the site, although its full extent has able for study. yet to be determined. Morales [25, p. 117] estimates that if the residential areas are included, Pacopampa would cover an area 400 meters wide and 1000 meters long. Located ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES TESTED roughly equidistant from the Pacific shores of northern Peru and the heavily forested tropical banks of the Marañon Pacopampa River, Pacopampa had strong exchange ties with coastal and eastern lowland peoples as well as the highland peoples Pacopampa is a large public center established during further to the south, and these links have been confirmed by the late Initial Period and occupied continuously through the archaeological research [13, 31]. Unlike the formative center at Chavin de Huantar, which is located at the bottom of a deep valley at 3150masl, Pacopampa is placed on the crest of a hill in the jalca zone (2000–2900masl), about 1000 meters above the deeply entrenched Chotano River. As a consequence, most of the agricultural land within Pacopampa’s catchment area is in the surrounding quechua zone or the lower yunga-like temple zone (1200–2000masl). These lands are suitable for FIGURE 14-1 Map showing archaeological sites in Peru with stable FIGURE 14-2 Panorama of the Pacopampa platforms and surrounding isotope analyses. environment. Photo: R. Burger. Ch014-P369364.qxd 20/2/2006 4:56 PM Page 189 The Importance of Maize in Initial Period and Early Horizon Peru 189 maize, manioc, sweet potato, fruit trees (such as chirimoya), given the presence of cut and burnt human bone amidst the and other crops that cannot thrive in the Chavin de Huantar faunal remains, hypothesized that ritual cannibalism took area. Some native crops, such as arracacha, are popular in place. The pottery associated with the ovoid building and the Pacopampa area but are absent in the more southern human remains falls within the Pacopampa Pacopampa highlands of Ancash. Because of this ecological setting, it Phase of Rosas and Shady or the Fase Apogeo of Morales, is a distinct possibility that maize was a more important tentatively dated to the late Initial Period. He estimates the crop at Pacopampa than at Chavin de Huantar. Moreover, date of this phase to 1000–800 BC [25, p. 118]; judging from sites dating to the beginning of the Initial Period have only the style, it appears to be at least partially coeval with the been found on steep slopes below the higher but more level Urabarriu Phase at Chavin de Huantar, dating to roughly lands surrounding Pacopampa [30]. Morales [25, p. 120] between 900–600 BC. writes: From the large sample of human remains recovered by Morales [25] at El Mirador, 11 rib samples were selected Maize is a special case given that the geographic location of Pacopampa and the climate are the most apt for its cultivation. It is and exported with permission of the Instituto Nacional de a seasonal cultivar using a dry farming technique, and each region Cultura for isotopic analysis. The samples came from units produces two different varieties: a small hard one from the temple 4–6 in layer C and were associated with Fase Apogeo (or zone and a soft large one from the quechua zone. Maize never is Pacopampa Pacopampa Phase) pottery. An effort was made grown alone since in the temple it is always grown with beans and to select ribs that, based on their size, color, and other fea- in the quechua it is always together with squash. tures, represented different individuals. In addition, one German archaeologist Kaulicke [21, pp. 10–16] has sug- large mammal rib, probably from a deer, was also analyzed gested that the establishment of the large center at higher for comparison with the human remains. elevations in the quechua zone could have reflected a shift to an agricultural system emphasizing maize.