“What was served with these spoons?Patterns of Consumption at the beginning of the Peruvian Middle Horizon

"Visllani visllacuni" the Quechua expression in the title means "what did they serve with these spoons?" Th is study examines locally made spoons in distinct shapes and sizes from excavations at the site of Conchopata, Ayacucho, in order to understand how spoons were used in daily practice. Notable patterns of production, circulation and consumption strongly suggest that spoons can both reveal domestic and ritual behaviors which have not previously been addressed in the literature.

Spoons are not generally examined as luxury goods or as objects with symbolic dimensions, yet during the early Huari Empire (AD 550-1000) in the central Andean Valley of Ayacucho spoons were excavated not only from expected domestic areas, but from a variety of contexts. Th ree spoon sizes are identifi ed. In this essay, I focus on the provenience, design and modeling of the smallest size category. Although spoons had a practical use they also had symbolic significance that transcended life and is expressed in their association with the dead, and associated rituals.

Key words: Huari/Wari Empire, spoons, ceramic production, domestic/ritual consumption.