Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Études Andines (Apr 2003)

Primeras observaciones sobre el uso de invertebrados y peces marinos en Pachacamac (Perú) en el siglo XV (período Intermedio Tardío)

  • Philippe Béarez,
  • Manuel Gorriti,
  • Peter Eeckhout

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4000/bifea.6339
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 32
pp. 51 – 67

Abstract

Read online

We know little about the subsistence economy of the archaeological site of Pachacamac, despite its importance for the central coast of Peru. The first results of the study of the marine invertebrates and fish excavated in the units 24 and 25 of the pyramid No III reveal that the species identified in the archaeological record are those usually found in present day sandy coastal areas close to Pachacamac, Valley of Lurin. As food items, fish represent the principal source of animal protein, followed by shellfish from the Pacific and shrimp from the river. The presence of (donax) as well as of (skipjack) may indicate that an El Nino event took place in the middle of the XVth century.

Keywords