Reconstructing Life Histories at the Site of Estuquiña: Incorporating Isotopic Data from Archaeological Hair to Investigate Palaeodietary Trends

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The site of Estuquiña is a Late Intermediate Period (AD 1100-1476) site in the Osmore drainage near the modern city of Moquegua in southern Peru. This time period is characterized by regional socio-political decentralization and transition of imperial polities throughout much of Andean South America. Previous research on human remains from the site investigated segmented cortisol levels to examine psychosocial stress, however this study incorporates δ13Ckeratin and δ15Nkeratin from archaeological hair (n=12) to elucidate how diet may have played a pivotal role in regulated cortisol production, social inequity, and overall health. Segmented isotopic values demonstrate variation in diet in the months leading up to death and illuminate which individuals had access to certain foodstuffs. Preliminary results range from -16.3‰ to -23.4‰ for δ13Ckeratin and 9.7‰ to 13.1‰ for δ15Nkeratin and suggest a lower dependence on maize and higher dependence on local flora and fauna.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23463