A Bioarchaeological Approach to Demographic Patterns and Preadult Deaths in the Andean Late Intermediate Period

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

During eras of heightened, intergroup conflict, noncombatants may experience increased risk of death, either as a direct result of targeted killings or from more indirect means stemming from resource stress and inadequate nutrition, for example. Documenting whether changes in mortality during violent time periods deviate from expected demographic patterns is central to understanding this issue. Here, we present the relative proportion of juveniles—separated into chronological age ranges—to adults within a sample of 199 individuals who lived at various sites in the Callejón de Huaylas, Peru, ca. AD 1100–1450. Prior research has reported instances of perimortem trauma among the sample’s preadults during this time period; however, it is unclear if these suspected deaths represent a marked change in mortality. To evaluate this claim, we contextualize our results with comparisons to areas outside the north-central highlands, focusing on the frequencies of reported juveniles at other sites dating to the Late Intermediate period. We also consider how factors such as sample size or undernumeration of infants influence the observed demographic patterns. This research lays the groundwork for more robust paleodemographic reconstructions in the north-central highlands and for more nuanced considerations of childhood and adolescence in the late prehispanic Andes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37608.0