Food for the Dead: Interpreting Animal Remains in Collective Tombs in the Upper NepeÑa Drainage, Peru (700 - 1532 CE).

Spanish ethnohistorical sources mention Andean funerary practices including feasts with the dead, recurring food offerings as well as sacrifices related to the dead, mythical ancestors, and deities. Today, due to the high visibility of collective tombs in the landscape and their long use, these tombs yield disturbed and complex archaeological assemblages that have long been understudied. This paper presents an analysis of animal bones discovered within three collective tombs in the Upper Nepeña Drainage (Ancash, Peru). The study of the faunal assemblages therein revealed two distinct patterns. While in two tombs, the remains of intrusive wild species dominated, in the third tomb domestic species were the most common. Combining zooarchaeological data and the ethnohistorical records, this research explores the multifaceted role of food in mortuary contexts, examining the cultural significance of such practices in the Ancash highlands during the Middle Horizon (600-1000 CE) and the Late Intermediate Period (1000-1400 CE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]