Material culture, practices, social and narrative meanings around Cañari food

The conception of food as a social, temporal and spatial act, constitutes an area generating senses, meanings and symbols, which go beyond transforming biocultural assets (material and intangible components associated with cultural identity) and developing food and drinks, based on specific instruments or techniques. Therefore, this project aims to analyze the social and cultural implications around Cañari food (Austro Ecuadorian), manifested in the cultural material of archaeological sites and in the traditional domestic spheres of the region (Azuay and Cañar). The study space is concentrated in the interandin region south of Ecuador, determined by geographical location criteria (2400 meters above sea level to 3000 meters above sea level) and processes of cultural, historical and social identification. Thus, from an archaeological approach, a multidisciplinary methodology is raised, with contributions from biology, chemistry, history and anthropology, through the application of techniques such as chemical analysis and starch analysis (material from excavation); In addition to documentary and ethnographic analysis. Finally, the proposal is projected to generate an agri -food heritage management plan, built from prehistoric (archaeological) knowledge to the present, which positions, puts in value and elevates the region as an important system of agri -food heritage.