Offerings for the deceased: rescuing the culinary rites from inside the ceramics of Quilicura 1, a site from the late period of central Chile

Abstract

In this article, we present a novel perspective, using the paleoethnobotanical record from the burial of a female individual recovered from the Quilicura 1 site, to understand the social-political processes associated with the Inka presence in the Chilean central region during the Late period (AD 1400-1536). The macrobotanical remains and use residues, associated with the ceramic vessels recovered as funerary offerings, provide evidence of the use of wild and domesticated plants used in the preparation of food intended for the dead. This collection of prepared food and drinks, such as chicha, along with the associated artifacts related to the preparation and consumption of these foods, represent the important acts of hospitality that served to efficiently integrate local communities and helped to maintain the functioning of Tawantinsuyu.