Meals in Motion: Ceramic and Botanical Investigations of Foodways in the Late Formative and Tiwanaku IV/V, Lake Titicaca Basin, Bolivia

Abstract

In Andean South America, archaeological research demonstrates that rituals surrounding the consumption of food and drink have long played an important part in building relationships between individuals, families, and communities. This thesis focuses on foodways in the Late Formative (200BC-AD475) and Tiwanaku (475-1000AD) phases of the Lake Titicaca basin in highland Bolivia. I pair ceramic and botanical datasets from three assemblages: Late Formative contexts from Kala Uyuni (southern Titicaca Basin) and Challapata (eastern Titicaca Basin), and a Tiwanaku phase burial at Chiripa (southern Titicaca Basin). The goals of this thesis are to: identify microbotanical plant remains of foods associated with ceramic vessels, consider how these inform archaeological understandings of Titicaca Basin foodways, and evaluate whether studying plant residues from ceramic vessels is an effective method to study foodways. Phytoliths and starch grains recovered from Challapata and Chiripa included remains of both local and non-local plants, while the Chiripa ceramic assemblage included non-local ceramic styles. These results offer new evidence for exchange between highland and lowland sites. Both local and non-local plant remains were recovered in public spaces where ceremonies may have taken place. While non-local goods may have been desirable and special because they were difficult to obtain, results of this thesis suggest that local plants may have been just as symbolically important. Overall, results indicate that pairing ceramic and botanical datasets can enable a richer understanding of foodways.