Diet and Adaptations in a High Altitude Rockshelter of Southern Peru, Based on Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes

Summary

We present the results of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses made on well-preserved collagen of four Early and one Middle Holocene adult humans together with coeval faunal remains of Cuncaicha rockshelter in the Peruvian puna to determine paleodiet. In addition, we reconstruct important aspects of the ecology of the Pucuncho Basin, in which Cuncaicha is located, using new as well as already available and secured values for stable carbon and nitrogen of archaeological and modern fauna and plants. This work addresses issues of aridity and altitude in paleodietary reconstructions and contributes to the development of ecological models for the interpretation of archaeological remains in the high altitude and arid Andes. Comparing archaeological and modern material offers higher resolution on chronological variation of the productivity of the basin. The results for paleoecology confirm the presence of a distinct local signal, and the results for human collagen indicate a consumption of protein from local animal and plant resources. As one of the oldest archaeological sites in South America, the apparent prolonged occupation of Cuncaicha has significance for early Paleoindian settlement strategies and resource exploitation as behavioral adaptations to puna ecosystems, and thus for the onset of adaptations to high altitude.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Evolutionary Adaptations and Population History of the Atacama Desert   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15090