Breweries Helped Keep a Pre-Columbian Empire Together

Two decades ago, a team of archaeologists excavating the empire’s southernmost administrative center, Cerro Baúl, stumbled upon a unique Wari site: an ancient brewery. By comparing rare elements in these pot shards to the unique elemental compositions of nearby soils, Williams’s team found that the vessels’ clay came from a site about five miles from the brewery. For those looking to create a little unity today, Chicago’s Field Museum, Williams’s home institution, has partnered with an area brewery to create a chicha de molle-inspired Wari Ale, incorporating Peruvian peppercorns and blue corn.

Source: www.atlasobscura.com