The tall-necked jar with a conical
bottom, known as an aríbalo, was
used to store and serve chicha,
maize beer. Johan Reinhard.Chicha was brewed on a large scale, often under the direct management of the
state. The work was usually undertaken by young women, the acllacuna, who
lived and worked in state production facilities, known as acllahuasis (houses of
the chosen women). State involvement in chicha production is supported by
archaeological evidence from sites such as Huánuco Pampa, an administrative
settlement in the central highlands, where archaeologists uncovered remains of
the large jars used in the various stages of chicha production in a building
believed to have served as the local acllahuasi. Evidence for chicha
consumption was uncovered in a royal compound at Huánuco Pampa, where
excavators dug up enormous quantities of chicha jars. Chicha consumption is
intimately linked to the narrow-necked jar, ubiquitous around the empire, known
as the aríbalo (see Ceramics; Feasts, State-Sponsored).
Chicha was produced in two ways. In the first method, dried, ground corn was
placed in the mouth and worked with the tongue until it absorbed saliva. These
“salivated” balls of maize were spat into large ceramic jars where they
fermented, forming chicha. The other method involved soaking fresh maize
kernels overnight in ceramic jars and then placing the kernels in layers of leaves
until they germinated. The sprouted corn was then dried in the sun and later