Title
Starch grain evidence of potato consumption at the Late Moche (AD 600–850) site of Wasi Huachuma, Peru
Date Issued
01 December 2018
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Elsevier Inc.
Abstract
Due to the arid environment and excellent preservation on the north coast of Peru, the evidence obtained from macrobotanical remains are the primary sources of information on plant use. However, some plants, such as potatoes, are infrequently recovered as macrobotanicals because they are usually consumed in their entirety. For this reason, we have applied starch grain analyses to ceramic and lithic materials recovered from the Late Moche (AD 600–850) site of Wasi Huachuma (Je-65) in the lower Jequetepeque valley, Peru. The results of these analyses revealed the presence of potato (Solanum tuberosum) on the ceramics indicating the regular consumption of potato at this site during this period. Prior to this, physical evidence of potato had only been recovered from one other Moche context—dental calculus from Huaca Cao Viejo. This indicates that macrobotanical analyses alone are insufficient for uncovering the spectrum of foodstuffs utilized by the Moche. We argue for a more rigorous and consistent application of starch grain analysis, in order to obtain as much information as possible about past plant utilization, rather than relying on macrobotanical remains alone.
Start page
74
End page
79
Volume
100
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Agronomía
Biotecnología agrícola, Biotecnología alimentaria
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85055154959
Source
Journal of Archaeological Science
ISSN of the container
03054403
Sponsor(s)
Much appreciation to Edward Swenson, Sarah M. Rowe, Sara Juengst, Katie Chiou, and David Goldstein for commentary on earlier drafts of this paper. Research at Wasi Huachuma was funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation (Doctoral Dissertation Grant #Gr. 8640). Fieldwork at Wasi Huachuma was conducted under Ministerio de Cultura de Peru permit #136-2013-DGPA-VMPCIC/MC. Lastly, many thanks to Edward Swenson and John P. Warner for providing access to the data from Huaca Colorada.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus