The Wari civilization is known for their advanced agricultural practices and food preservation techniques, which allowed them to store and distribute food throughout their empire. One of their most impressive preservation techniques was a type of food freezing, which involved creating specialized structures known as qollqas.
Qollqas were massive, multi-story buildings constructed out of stone and clay. The Wari used them to store large quantities of food, including grains, potatoes, and other crops. The qollqas were designed to maintain a cool and dry environment, with thick walls that insulated the stored food from the outside temperature and humidity.
The Wari also took advantage of the high altitude of their empire to preserve food through freezing. Many of their qollqas were built at high elevations, where temperatures are naturally colder. The Wari would store food in the qollqas during the winter months when the outside temperature was even colder, which helped to freeze the food and keep it fresh.
Additionally, the Wari used a variety of other food preservation techniques, such as drying, salting, and smoking. They also had a complex system of roads and warehouses that allowed them to transport and distribute food throughout their empire. These advanced food preservation and distribution systems were essential to the success of the Wari civilization, which flourished in the Andes Mountains of South America from around 600 to 1100 CE.
