Wari Beer: Production as Practice at the Cerro Baúl Brewery.

This article focuses on the large-scale, state-sponsored production of chicha, a traditional Andean fermented beverage, at the Wari brewery located at Cerro Baúl in southern Peru during the Middle Horizon period (600–1000 AD). Through archaeological excavation and ethnographic analogy, the study reconstructs the multi-stage brewing process—including malting, mashing, and fermentation—highlighting specialized ceramic and lithic tools, spatial organization, and labor investments involved in producing maize- and molle-based chichas. The evidence suggests that chicha production at Cerro Baúl was a centralized craft activity distinct from household brewing, serving as a key element in Wari political economy and feasting practices that reinforced social bonds and imperial identity across provincial centers. The research underscores the brewery’s role in linking diverse groups—farmers, brewers, and consumers—within a state-controlled production and distribution system, offering a model for identifying similar imperial production sites in the Andes.