A Study of Faunal Consumption at the Gallinazo Group Site, Northern Coast of Peru

Abstract

This thesis is an investigation into consumption patterns at the Gallinazo Group archaeological site, from the Early Intermediate Period (200 B.C. to 800 A.D.), on the Peruvian north coast. Faunal samples were recovered from two different but contemporaneous contexts: a civic-ceremonial platform mound and an Architectural Compound in a residential sector. The main objectives were: 1) create a faunal database for the site; 2) assess the nature of faunal resources consumed in these two different contexts; and 3) contribute to the zooarchaeological literature on the use of consumption patterns to reconstruct aspects of ancient complex societies. For each specimen collected, the species, element, state of fusion, and length were recorded. Differences suggest that the nature of consumption activities varied in both areas of the site. Occupants were exploiting a range of ecological habitats and practiced camelid husbandry, suggesting that increased control and exploitation of their environment was connected to state-emergence