For Immediate Release Media contacts: The Field Museum Greg Borzo 312/665-7106 gborzo@fieldmuseum.org Digital images available: Aerial view of brewery, palace The mountaintop imperial Wari brewery and palace were burned down at an elaborate ceremony 1,000 years ago that involved feasting, drinking and vessel smashing. Photo by P. R. Williams, Courtesy of The Field Museum Shawl pin The large number of shawl pins found in the brewery but conspicuously absent elsewhere at the excavation site indicates that the elite women who, would have worn such pins, brewed the chicha, an alcoholic beer-like beverage that was central to the Wari culture. Photo by P. R. Williams, Courtesy of The Field Museum Cerro Baúl summit The brewery, palace and high-status residences were excavated on the formidable summit of Cerro Baúl in southern Peru, 10,000 feet above sea level. Photo by P. R. Williams, Courtesy of The Field Museum Patrick Ryan Williams climbing the summit of Cerro Baúl Patrick Ryan Williams specializes in the anthropology of South America and the use of chemical and geophysical science in archaeology. Photo by Cerro Baúl Project, Courtesy of The Field Museum Donna Nash sketching at the mountaintop site Donna Nash is one of a team of archaeologists who have spent years excavating the remnants of the Wari imperial outpost, which survived four centuries but was abandoned 1,000 years ago. Photo by P. R. Williams, Courtesy of The Field Museum <<Back to the Press Room