Reconsidering the Archaeological Rarity of Guinea Pig Bones in the Central Andes

Valdez, Lidio M.; Valdez, J. Ernesto

doi:10.1086/204679

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The well-preserved guinea pig offerings from Tambo Viejo represent the first ever finding coming from an Inka site and support the early accounts provided by Spaniards with regards to the use of these animals for the purposes of sacrifice. NOTE 1 Overall, the occurrence of guinea pigs in archaeological contexts is rare (Valdez & Valdez, 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inka sacrificial guinea pigs from Tambo Viejo, Peru

Valdez¹

2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Early Spaniards reported that the Inkas periodically slaughtered hundreds of animals, guinea pigs being the most common sacrificial animals. It is stated that in a single ceremony, hundreds of guinea pigs were killed. Although the ethnohistorical accounts provide good information about the Inka motivations for guinea pig sacrifice, archaeologically, the occurrence of large numbers of sacrificed guinea pigs had not been found. Recent research conducted at the Inka site of Tambo Viejo, in the Acari Valley of the Peruvian south coast, encountered several dozens of sacrificed guinea pigs that overall represent the single largest find known for the entire former Inka territory. In preparation for sacrifice, some of guinea pigs had been adorned with colorful strings that were placed as earrings as well with colorful necklaces also made from colorful strings. Some of the guinea pigs were also enveloped in a rug before burial. Similar evidence is unknown from anywhere within the former Inka territory, making the evidence from Tambo Viejo unparalleled.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inka sacrificial guinea pigs from Tambo Viejo, Peru

Valdez¹

2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Guinea pigs ( Cavia porcellus ) or cuyes were domesticated by 2500 BC (Wing 1986) and were used throughout prehispanic times as a food source (Glew and Flannery 2016; Rosenfeld 2008) and in many sacred rituals (Rofes and Wheeler 2003; Rosenfeld 2008; Sandweiss and Wing 1997). They are usually kept inside houses; although cuy pens are easily identifiable, it is uncommon to find coprolites and bones in archaeological households, presumably because households were swept clean to avoid the accumulation of feces (Valdez and Valdez 1997).…”

Section: Model Variables and Expectationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Bayesian Approach to Andean Faunal Assemblages

Osborn

2019

Latin Am. antiq.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Faunal assemblages offer rich data for exploring domestication, subsistence, ritual practice, and political economy. Issues of equifinality, however, frequently complicate interpretations because different agents and processes may create similar archaeological signatures. Analysts are often forced to make interpretations based on qualitative observations, which can be difficult to justify or replicate. I present an alternative method for classifying Andean assemblages by using ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and archaeological data to construct a Bayesian network model. The model is assessed using specifically constructed test datasets and archaeological case studies. Bayesian models can lead to explicit and quantifiable probabilistic interpretations of faunal assemblages.

show abstract

“…Given their long prehistory of domestication in the Andes, it was puzzling how poorly documented they were in the archaeological record. The observation that absence of cuy bones among kitchen middens can be blamed on the presence of domestic dogs provided a partial explanation (Valdez and Valdez 1997 ). Guinea pig bones most often appear in the context of human graves where these animals were buried with the dead (Sandweiss and Wing 1997 ).…”

Section: Other Side Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spell of the Urubamba

Gade

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reconsidering the Archaeological Rarity of Guinea Pig Bones in the Central Andes

Cited by 11 publications

References 1 publication

Inka sacrificial guinea pigs from Tambo Viejo, Peru

Inka sacrificial guinea pigs from Tambo Viejo, Peru

A Bayesian Approach to Andean Faunal Assemblages

Spell of the Urubamba

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About