Ancient beer and modern brewers: Ethnoarchaeological observations of chicha production in two regions of the North Coast of Peru

Archaeological studies of alcohol have tended to focus on consumption while production, particularly of beer, has been more difficult to recognize and interpret. The ethnoarchaeological study of modern maize beer or chicha production on Peru’s north coast provides information on (1) production steps and their material correlates, (2) labor and raw material inputs at different scales and possible labor bottlenecks, and (3) variation in technology and organization that is linked to contexts of consumption and cultural differences through time across the Andes. Because of this variation, the ethnoarchaeological observations reported here should not be directly projected onto the past, but rather should serve as points of comparison with the archaeological record.