Researchers from the Castillo de Huarmey Archaeological Project, located in Ancash region, have uncovered guinea pig bone remains associated with ceremonial contexts and daily life at this Wari culture site, reported lead investigator Miłosz Giersz, who heads the project.
The expert stated that this new discovery is connected to both dietary and ritual practices, reinforcing the theory of early guinea pig domestication in Ancash region and its symbolic value in pre-Columbian societies.
"Research suggests that guinea pigs were not only raised as a food source, but also played a role in ceremonies tied to the Andean worldview," he said.
The researcher specified that the guinea pig bone remains were recovered during archaeological excavations carried out since 2010 by the Castillo de Huarmey Project team in different sectors of the funerary complex
"Their systematic analysis has been possible thanks to the work of the project's zooarchaeologist, Dr. Weronika Tomczyk, who published the first results in her doctoral dissertation," Gierz stated.
"This renewed look at guinea pig remains was partly driven by growing local interest in the region's cultural food heritage, showing how archaeology can engage with contemporary processes of cultural revaluation," he emphasized.
The specialist noted that, although the guinea pig bones come from deposits linked to the late use of the mausoleum and to areas of domestic activity or refuse following the closing of the main funerary chamber, there are still no direct dating results for these specimens.
"The context suggests they belong to a period between the 9th and 10th centuries A.D., within the Wari occupation of the site," he pointed out.
Giersz explained that the remains were found in disturbed fill and mixed refuse layers, heavily affected by prior looting activity. The original context was likely domestic or post-consumption waste.
In total, the bones belong to at least three adult individuals, all showing signs of skeletal maturity, which suggests the inference of dietary use.
He added that the available evidence points mainly to dietary use.
"The relative scarcity of guinea pig remains compared to the overwhelming abundance of camelids suggests that guinea pig meat was not a staple food in this elite context. However, its presence indicates it was part of the Wari elite's diet as a complementary protein source," Giersz said.
The researcher noted that, so far, there is no archaeological evidence of special ceremonial treatment. However, isotopic analysis on one of the recovered specimens revealed a high maize consumption and local rearing.
This demonstrates that guinea pigs were already being raised under controlled conditions at that time.
Giersz stressed that this finding offers an important complement to studies of the Wari local elite's diet, which was mainly based on camelid meat and agricultural products.
"At Castillo de Huarmey, marine animals are virtually absent from the faunal assemblage and play little role in isotopic paleodiet studies of the site's ancient inhabitants. This is surprising given that the site lies less than 4 km from the ocean. It reinforces the idea of a culturally selected diet focused on terrestrial resources as a symbol of status," Giersz noted.
"The presence of guinea pigs at Castillo de Huarmey demonstrates there was diversity in animal protein sources, and that small animals like guinea pigs could be integrated strategically, though not prominently, into the Wari elite's diet," he added.
The archaeological project team highlighted that these findings provide a better understanding of animal domestication processes on Peru's central coast and open up new avenues for research on the long-term relationship between humans and guinea pigs.
In this regard, Antamina, the company funding the archaeological project, stressed that this discovery is especially relevant in today's context, as Huarmey's Territorial Management Unit promotes the technical rearing of guinea pigs as part of its sustainable economic development strategy.
"The connection between the archaeological past and contemporary productive projects strengthens local identity and revalues ancestral practices with commercial and cultural potential," the project team concluded.
(END) NDP/MAO/JMP/MVB