Preliminary Study of Dental Health among Coastal Population at the Site of the Santo Domingo Cemetery in Huarmey, Peru

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Recent archaeological excavations at the prehispanic cemetery of Santo Domingo in Huarmey (Peru) suggests that it was associated with the settlement of El Campanario. Based on the ceramic styles recovered at the site, the cemetery was likely utilized during the second half of the Middle Horizon (AD 800–1000) and the Late Intermediate Period (AD 1000–1400). In a preliminary attempt, the juvenile and adult mandibles and maxillae of 13 individuals were examined to suggest dietary and cultural practices exercised by this population. Common pathologies observed were alveolar resorption, severe crown wear, root caries on the buccal side, pit caries on the occlusal side, and alveolar abscesses. Given the small sample size, statistically significant claims regarding lifestyle and dietary habits cannot be made without further research. However, it is hypothesized that some of the dental markers observed are related to the practice of coca chewing, along with the effects of specific dietary habits generated from the population’s coastal and agricultural resources. To determine if coca chewing was a practice exercised by individuals recovered from the site, the protocol outlined by Indriati and Buikstra (2001) will be applied in future examinations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• SAA 2021: General Sessions

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32039