In this article, we will discuss diaguita and inca commensality practices related to the ushnu platform of Guitián, an archaeological site located in the Northern Calchaquí Valley (Salta, Argentina). The excavations that we conducted inside the platform allowed us to identify, recover and analyse several features and deposits. We will give an account of the stratigraphy, materials, and archaeological contexts recognized during the excavations, paying special attention to the archaeobotanical evidence. We will argue that during the ceremonies held in the plaza and around ushnu, the Incas attempted to reorganize the local interactions with a powerful non-human entity of the local landscape (cerro Meléndez). However, this reorganization did not entail radical changes regarding what local guests considered appropriate to offer. On the contrary, there are clear continuities in diaguita commensality practices before and during the inca occupation.
Amuedo, C., Ferrari, A., Acuto, F., & Lema, V. S. (2020). ¿What, how and who eat through a ushnu? Histories of commensalities in the ushnu de Guitián (salta, argentina). Revista Chilena De Antropología, (42), 146–168. https://doi.org/10.5354/0719-1472.2020.60488
