Maize and Sociopolitical Complexity in the Ayacucho Valley
This study examines the ways in which maize agriculture influenced and/or catalyzed the development of sociopolitical complexity in the Ayacucho Valley of Peru. First, a revised chronology is devised for Ayacucho based on a new series of radiocarbon dates. This new timeline indicates that the hegemony of the Wari state in the Ayacucho Valley spanned the period from ca. AD700 to AD1050. Then using the record ofpaleodiet contained in the stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in human and animal remains from 16 archaeological sites, it is shown that maize was the mainstay ofhuman subsistence from at least ca. 800BC until the time of the Spanish Conquest. Clear evidence is presented documenting the preeminent role of this cereal in the domestic economiesof early Formative societies and the later Wari polity, the first urban state society of the Andean sierra. The first evidence for the use ofmanure as fertilizer and maize as animal fodder in the prehistoric Andes is presented. Additional variation in stable isotopes of nitrogen is assessed and it is suggested that the elevated 51SN values of one prehistoric group betray their coastal origins. The economic data from stable isotopes are also evaluated in light
Finucane, Brian
Maize and Sociopolitical Complexity in the Ayacucho Valley. This study examines the ways in which maize agriculture influenced and/or catalyzed the development of sociopolitical complexity in the Ayacucho Valley of Peru. First, a revised chronology is devised for Ayacucho based on a new series of radiocarbon dates. This new timeline indicates that the hegemony of the Wari state in the Ayacucho Valley spanned the period from ca. AD700 to AD1050. Then using the record ofpaleodiet contained in the stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in human and animal remains from 16 archaeological sites, it is shown that maize was the mainstay ofhuman subsistence from at least ca. 800BC until the time of the Spanish Conquest. Clear evidence is presented documenting the preeminent role of this cereal in the domestic economiesof early Formative societies and the later Wari polity, the first urban state society of the Andean sierra. The first evidence for the use ofmanure as fertilizer and maize as animal fodder in the prehistoric Andes is presented. Additional variation in stable isotopes of nitrogen is assessed and it is suggested that the elevated 51SN values of one prehistoric group betray their coastal origins. The economic data from stable isotopes are also evaluated in light
sociopolitical complexity valley study_examines way agriculture influence and development sociopolitical complexity valley peru first revise chronology devise base new series radiocarbon_date new indicate hegemony state valley span_period use record contain stable_isotope carbon_nitrogen human_animal remain archaeological_site show mainstay subsistence least time spanish_conquest clear evidence_present document preeminent role cereal domestic early formative society later polity first urban state_society andean first evidence use animal fodder prehistoric present additional variation stable_isotope nitrogen assess suggest elevate value prehistoric group betray coastal origin economic data stable_isotope also evaluate light