Maize and the Origin of Highland Chavín Civilization: An Isotopic Perspective

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Abstract
Scholars frequently posit maize as the staple food of Chavín civilization and some even argue that this crop provided the critical stimulus for its development. Stable carbon isotope analysis permits an evaluation of these hypotheses because maize, the only C4 cultigen consumed in pre‐Hispanic Peru, leaves an unambiguous imprint on the bone chemistry of its consumers that allows the calculation of its relative importance in the diet. Analysis of osteological samples from Chavín de Huántar and Huaricoto indicates that although maize was eaten, C3 foods like potatoes and quinoa constituted the bulk of the dietary intake during the development and climax of highland Chavín civilization (ca. 850‐200 B.C.). The authors briefly explore possible reasons for the secondary importance of maize in the Initial Period/Early Horizon subsistence systems of this region, a pattern already established by the late Preceramic period (ca. 2000 B.C.).