A Bioarchaeological Approach to Ychsma Regional Interactions: Stable Oxygen and Radiogenic Strontium Isotopes and Late Intermediate Period Mobility on the Central Peruvian Coast

Summary

Archaeological and ethnohistoric evidence indicates that, for the Inca Empire and the Spanish Viceroyalty, the Rimac and Lurin Valleys on central Peruvian coast served as a key regional hub for religious and administrative activities. The nature of regional interactions prior to Inca imperial influence in this area, however, remains unclear. Well-known historical narratives claim populations from the adjacent Huarochirí highlands defeated coastal Ychsma populations for agricultural land, but archaeological evidence concerning the timing and extent of coastal-highland interactions is a source of debate. Here, we assess the potential for radiogenic strontium and stable oxygen isotopes to shed light on the regional mobility of coastal Ychsma groups during the Late Intermediate Period. We analyzed regional environmental baseline samples and archaeological human tooth enamel and bone samples from 113 individuals buried at Armatambo and Rinconada Alta, in the lower and lower-middle Rimac Valley, for radiogenic strontium and stable oxygen isotopes. Results reveal a broad isotopic range for the region likely due to diversity in water and bedrock sources. Nevertheless, one individual presents a non-local strontium value indicating mobility to an outside region. Complications for using isotopes to assess mobility in the Central Andes are discussed and future directions for research are proposed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• E pur si muove: Exploring Mobilities in Latin America

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