food offerings recovered from the bundle. Decay has 
caused one part of the surface of the specimen to become 
softened and this area is easily broken. Its present max- 
imum length is 9.9 em. ; its maximum diameter 2.3m. ; 
and it tapers slightly toward the tip. The color of the 
smooth exterior surface ranges from a light to a dark 
brown. The fibrous, cream-colored interior gave a posi- 
tive starch test with iodine. 
A microscopic examination of this root showed both 
large and small starch grains. The granules, regardless 
of size, possess the same characteristics. They are in twin 
or triplicate aggregates of truncated grains which, when 
dissociated, are either circular or kettle-drum in shape. 
Their diameter measures from 9 to 21 micra. The lamel- 
lae are evident, but not distinct. The hilum, either a dot 
or cleft, is eccentric. These granules are indistinguish- 
able from the granules of modern cassava. 
Yacovleff and Muelle (1984) and Carrion (1949) report 
having found manioc in the mummy bundles which 
they examined, identifying these roots as Manzhot spp. 
Mangelsdorf (1942) identifies a specimen of the root from 
another bundle from Paracas Necropolis as Manzhot escu- 
lenta Crantz. Yacovleff and Herrera (1934-35) have 
pointed out that representations of this plant were often 
used by the ancient Peruvians for decorative purposes. 
MALVACEAE 
Gossypium sp. prob. G. barbadense 1.’ 
Cotton was found in the mummy bundle as raw fiber, 
yarn or thread and textiles. Four hanks and four balls 
of cotton yarn were included in Layer I. Thread had 
been utilized as a sewing element to tie small objects 
1 The specific name Gossypium peruvianum Cay., which has been wide- 
ly used to describe Peruvian cotton, is now included with several other 
species under G. barbadense L. (Harlan, 1939, p. 48). 
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