OUR FATHER THE CAYMAN, OUR DINNER THE LLAMA - ANIMAL UTILIZATION AT CHAVIN DE HUANTAR, PERU

Analysis of the animal bones recovered from the excavations of residen tial contexts at Chavin de Huantar reveals a mixed economy that includ ed the herding and hunting of camelids (Ilama and vicuna) at Chavin de Huantar as early as the Urabarriu Phase (900-500 B.C). It also sugges ts that a pattern of trade in died Ilama meat (ch'arki) from high alti tude environments (punas) to lower ones had developed by the Chakinani phase (500-400 B. C.), while the consumption of hunted animals (espec ially deer) sharply declined in importance. During the apogee of Chavi n de Huantar (400-200 B.C), socioeconomic stratification is reflected in differential access to tender meat from younger animals. The role o f Chavin de Huantar in the spread of camelid pastoralism and the impor tance of highland vs. tropical rainforest animals in Chavin ideology i s discussed as well.