ABSTRACT
Caravan trade allowed Andean people in diverse environments to share common products and customs such as the chewing of coca leaves and drinking maize beer (chicha). As recently as the early 1980s, llama and mule caravans were still common in the Peruvian central highland valley of Ayacucho, while as late as the 1950s, coastal communities were still frequented by llama caravans. Caravans played a key role in the spread of important customs of drinking chicha, chewing coca leaves, and consuming charki that anthropologists regard as important features of the people of the central Andes. Interaction and reciprocity linked the communities in a large and complex web and allowed the flow of resources, ideas, and principles that were widespread over a large region. Demonstrating that reciprocity was key for the well-being of communities, participants invested valuable time and energy in maintaining the links that brought communities together. Thus, in the local calendar, there was a specific time set for interaction and reciprocity: this was the dry season when diverse products, including coca leaves, maize, and potatoes were transported by large caravans of llamas, horses, mules, and donkeys that crisscrossed the region.
