Animal Use in the Late Prehispanic Colca Valley–Arequipa, Peru

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Scaling New Heights: Recent Advances in Andean Zooarchaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The prehispanic Arequipa region of southern Peru was renowned for its vast camelid herds, but the exact modes of pastoral economies varied between elevations, sites, and periods. This paper examines the extent of reliance on camelids at Uyo Uyo, a significant multicomponent settlement located in the Colca Valley (Arequipa, Peru) and occupied from the Late Intermediate Period (AD 1000–1450) through colonial times. The region is known for its extensive irrigated agricultural terracing and numerous camelid herds. Located at approximately 3500 masl, Uyo Uyo sits amongst dense terracing and is proximate to high-elevation pastures. Standard zooarchaeological analyses conducted on ca. 30% (NISP = 1687) of previously excavated archaeofauna revealed continuous dependence on camelid pastoralism in all aspects of Uyo Uyo’s lifeways. Most of the examined deposits came from post-consumption discards. Despite the lack of corrals in the site’s immediate vicinity, small- and large-body-type camelid remains dominated the examined domestic and funerary contexts. The input of local wildlife was minimal, but a broad range of occasionally procured wild species suggests ongoing reliance on locally available resources. Our preliminary analysis provides the basis for future comparative studies of change and continuity in pastoralism in the south-central Andes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Scaling New Heights: Recent Advances in Andean Zooarchaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50849