The Wari culture which preceded the Inca in Peru was only recently recognized as a distinct culture in the late 1940s.  They are interesting because they were overlooked for so long.  Their culture extended to the north beyond Lima and to the south all the way to Cerro Baul near lake Titikaka.  Their culture was militaristic and stratified.  There were rich neighborhoods and poor ones.  Their cities were colorful tightly packed, multistory buildings which were well organized in a grid pattern.  They had a uniform architectural style that matched from city to city down to the measurements of the walls.  Archaeologists considered the culture rather grim.  Their drinking cups were decorated with warriors and bound captives and fierce looking supernatural creatures with long sharp teeth.  They practiced human sacrifice and carried around human trophy skulls, some were even used as drinking cups.  However, excavations in Cerro Baul, their southernmost outpost tell a different story.

Cerro Baul was built on a high altitude plateau. Rich folk lived there, perhaps they might even have been diplomats since they lived so close to the Tiwanaku people. It was once a colorful multistoried palace complex.  “Everything they needed—water, food, precious stones for crafting beads, clay for making pots, and corn for brewing beer—had to be carried to the top.  In what was once the courtyard of the central palace…three tree stumps were found…evidence of a garden that must have been nourished with water brought up in jars.”[1] Their only source of water was down a long steep pathway.  But servants did all of the heavy lifting, so it wasn’t too bad for the rich folk. It must all have been very impressive to the Tiwanaku who lived down slope from them. “You impress the neighbors by living closer to the gods.”

Best of all there was a 2,500 square foot beer brewery with four rooms where “Chicha” a corn based beer was made.  (“Chicha” is still a popular drink in the Andes.)  Beautiful upper class women actually made the beer.  First they dried the corn, then soaked it until it sprouted before grinding it into a mash.  Then they boiled it in one of eight huge ceramic vats before fermenting it in twelve huge jars large enough to brew 1,800 pints of “Chicha”.  Before the beer was done, they threw in some hallucinogenic plants to give the brew a special added kick.  Then after a week, when the beer was done, they had a party because there were no preservatives back then, so it was best to consume the beer relatively quickly.  Maybe they even invited their Tiwanuku neighbors over to party with them. The Waris must have thrown the best parties in the neighborhood.

Archaeologists also discovered the looted tomb of a very important person in the corner of the courtyard. Around 850AD, “After the burial, there was a tremendous feast that included guinea pigs, llama, Andean hare, and seven different kinds of fish from the ocean 40 miles away.  Dozens of pots and cups were smashed on top of the tomb, just before the palace itself was torn down.”  At that point, it was clear to everyone, the party was over.

Two hundred years after the dismantling of the palace, archaeologists found evidence of another spectacular feast.  “After brewing nearly 2,000 pints of beer, two dozen or more Wari lords held one last drunken blowout at Cerro Baul. Each raised a uniquely decorated drinking cup, toasted one last time and smashed their ceramic cups on the floor of the brewery.  Then they lit the building on fire and left the mountaintop forever.”  Here’s to a little known people who knew how to party until they couldn’t anymore. Cheers.

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[1] All quotations are from Archaeology Magazine Jan/Feb 2010

Tags: corkey trivia, inca, peru, wari

Posted January 5, 2010 in Liane: Corkey Trivia
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