Stable Isotope Analysis of Dental Serial Sections Suggests Delayed Weaning among Archaic Foragers of the Andean Altiplano

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Behavioral Ecology and Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Previous research identifies delayed weaning as a behavioral adaptation to life at high altitude in the Andean and Tibetan highlands. This research examines the stable isotope chemistry of dental serial sections in Archaic period forager populations of the high Andes in the Lake Titicaca Basin to estimate weaning ages and the potential onset of delayed weaning practices on the Andean Altiplano. Preliminary results suggest that Archaic foragers of the Altiplano, 9.5–6.5 cal kya, commonly delayed completion of the infant weaning process until 4–6 years of age. This estimate is later than both modern lowland weaning ages of 1–2 years and modern highland weaning ages of 3–4 years. Results suggest that delayed weaning was an early behavioral adaptation to high-altitude lifeways, which may have served to mitigate high infant mortality rates in a cold, hypoxic, resource-poor landscape.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Behavioral Ecology and Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36561.0