A Spondylus Workshop within a Ritual Building at Pachacamac on the Central Coast of Peru (ca. AD 1470–1533)

Abstract

On the Central Coast of Peru, the research carried out in Building B15 at Pachacamac recovered malacological materials that bring us closer to knowing the different activities carried out within both this building and this prestigious site during the late periods. The objectives of the malacology analysis were to identify the specimens and retrieve the largest shell manufacturing information from the analysis of the sample. The results provide a lot of information about the use of marine resources, with it one can know the resources used for food and those used for the manufacture of ornaments, offerings, and other artifacts of probable ritual use. The manufactured resources were the most important sample in the analysis, highlighting the Spondylus. All the steps of elaboration of the artifacts have been identified, from the accumulation of the raw material and going through the different stages of manufacture until obtaining the final object. It is argued that this workshop probably reflects the presence of Chimu mitmaquna artisans.