Feast, Food, and Drink on a Paracas Platform, Chincha Valley, Southern Coastal Peru

There has been considerable analytical and theoretical debate with regard to the role of feasting on the ancient world. In the Andes, the ancient existence of such activities and practices has been uncovered in various archaeological contexts, and such activities have greatly influenced anthropological theory with regard to the roles of ritual feasting and offerings to pre-Columbian cultures. Recent archaeological research has documented evidence for ritual feasting and the consumption of fermented intoxicants in various cultural and chronological contexts. The archaeological evidence for how such practices were carried out suggest an ever-increasing complexity and variability with regard to the kinds of compositions and their cultural particularities and characteristics. The following analysis presents archaeological evidence of ritual feasting associated with a sunken patio on a platform at the site of Cerro del Gentil in Peru. Pre-Historic occupation and archaeological evidence indicate that these ritual practices are associated with the Paracas culture (500 B.C.–200 B.C.) of the Chincha valley of the Southern Peruvian Coast. We use evidence from botanical and zoological remains, broken ceramic vessels, and other indications of ritual feasting to address the sociopolitical significance of feasting practices to the Paracas culture.