Prehistoric cultivated cucurbits from the Viru Valley,Peru

A sample of 535 specimens of cucurbits were retrieved from archaeological deposits in the Viru Valley, Peru, from contexts dated between ca. 1800 B.C.– 1100 A.D. by Carbon-14 analysis and cultural associations. Cultivars ofCucurbita maxima Duch. and C.moschata (Duch.) Duch. ex Poir. are found to be restricted, respectively, to early and late chronological periods, with no overlap. Cultural and ecological factors are suggested to account for the observed temporal and spatial variations in species occurrence. Comparison of materials from other coastal valleys indicat es significant, but presently unexplainable, spatial and temporal differences in the distribution of these species. Supportive evidence for South America as an independent center of domestication for C.maxima tis offered.