Chicha and food for the Inka feasts: Their materiality in state production contexts in southern Tawantinsuyu

Abstract

The incursion of the Inka empire, Tawantinsuyu, into the Argentine Northwest combined different strategies to consolidate state power, including the organization of massive feasts with a strong religious component. The Inka required participation from large contingents of conquered communities in these feasts, who were not only involved in the celebrations themselves but also preparation of food and chicha. Large-scale chicha production for these feasts required specific tools, including large bedrock mortars scattered throughout the landscape of the El Shincal archaeological site (Catamarca province, Argentina). To understand this feasting phenomenon and its link with Inka politics in this region, two bedrock mortars and excavated artifacts, including ceramics, lithics, animal bones, and macrobotanical remains are examined. Results indicate that chicha was produced from many different plant resources in large quantities, a phenomenon related to the active role of local communities. Additionally, entheogenic plants were used in some of these chichas.