ABSTRACT
The nature of llama caravan traffic in Nasca on the south coast of Peru during the Late Intermediate period (1000–1400 AD) and the Late Horizon (1400–1532 AD) is explored in this chapter. My analysis suggest that llama caravanners in late prehispanic Nasca society share some of the characteristics commonly associated with other caravanner groups found across environmentally similar desert zones further south in the Andes. Physical evidence from excavations at the late prehispanic settlement of Huayuri points to caravans in Nasca being organized in the lowlands. An analysis of various indicators from the excavations at Huayuri, including the presence of ceramic bells, strongly suggests involvement by some of Huayuri’s households in the organization of llama caravans. Faunal assemblages and artifacts provide further insights into the role these caravanners played in late prehispanic Nasca society. Finally, the regional distribution of similar bells suggests that caravanner groups comparable to Huayuri’s were involved in supplying cargo services from Ica, Nasca, and Acari to other Inca Road stations across the south coast of Peru.
