Festines y poder en chavín de Huántar durante el período formativo tardío en los andes centrales

Feasts have been understood as the locus of different types of interactions between various segments of the social sphere. Sponsored feasts at the supra-household level can provide information regarding the relationship between those who hosted the feasts and those who attended them. This paper presents evidence for supra-household feasts, retrieved from a large, stratified midden excavated at the site of Chavín de Huántar that dates to the Late Formative period (800-500 BC) in the Central Andes. I first analyze the formal characteristics of the midden deposits, and then examine variation in vessel types and frequencies, faunal remains, narcotic paraphernalia, and exotic items. Finally, I discuss the implications of supra-household feasts in the context of Andean ceremonialism and power strategies during the Central Andes Late Formative period.