Maize and Sociopolitical Complexity in the Ayacucho Valley, Peru

Finucane, Brian Clifton

doi:10.1086/599860

Cited by 54 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Therefore, of this sample only one male and one female had bone values consistent with a more maize based-diet, which suggests, counter to many other Andean isotopic studies of later highland groups, that maize was not the primary food staple in the Chachapoyas region (Burger et al, 2003;Burger & van der Merwe, 1990;Finucane, 2009;Hastorf & Johannessen, 1993). This is likely related to the nature of the vertical topography, temperature changes, and high precipitation where steep slopes, high-altitude, and abundant precipitation (>4000 mm annually) results in agricultural variation restricted to ecological zones and limit maize production to specific lower elevations.…”

Section: Stable Isotope Reconstruction Of Dietary Variabilitycontrasting

confidence: 65%

“…C 3 plants are more depleted in carbon-13 and, therefore, have values between 218& and 228& (for example in the Andean region, potatoes, quinoa, peanuts, etc.) Andean bioarchaeologists have long focused on identifying the origin and introduction of maize as a food staple, and exploring the shift to maize consumption in all regions during imperial expansions, and chicha (maize beer) consumption during ritual practices (Deniro & Hastorf, 1985;Erickson et al, 1989;Finucane, 2009;Hastorf & Johannessen, 1993). In the Andes, maize is the primary C 4 subsistence food, but there are other less known food resources such as kiwicha (Cadwallader, Beresford-Jones, Whaley, & O'connell, 2012).…”

Section: Dietary Estimationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Diets appear regionally differentiated in Peru (Burger, Lee-Thorp, & van der Merwe, 2003;Erickson, West, Sullivan, Krueger, 1989;Tomczak, 2003;Verano & DeNiro, 1993;Williams, 2005), where highland diets are primarily dominated by C 3 foods (potatoes, terrestrial animal protein), while coastal diets are characterized by C 4 and C 4 -like foods (maize, marine protein). Andean bioarchaeologists have long focused on identifying the origin and introduction of maize as a food staple, and exploring the shift to maize consumption in all regions during imperial expansions, and chicha (maize beer) consumption during ritual practices (Deniro & Hastorf, 1985;Erickson et al, 1989;Finucane, 2009;Hastorf & Johannessen, 1993).…”

Section: Dietary Estimationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Exploring imperial expansion using an isotopic analysis of paleodietary and paleomobility indicators in Chachapoyas, Peru

Toyne

Church

Tello

et al. 2016

American J Phys Anthropol

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These are the first isotopic data from a Chachapoya site and our research shows evidence for minimal non-local presence in this commingled burial assemblage. The regional diet reconstructed at Los Pinchudos (2850 masl) focused on resources of higher altitude tuber crops, beans, and grains (C ) and terrestrial protein rather than on lower elevation grasses such as maize (C ) as in other highland Andean regions under Inca control. During imperial domination, inhabitants of this region appropriated Inca materials goods but continued to construct tombs in the local manner even though a potentially diverse population was occupying them.

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Section: Stable Isotope Reconstruction Of Dietary Variabilitycontrasting

confidence: 65%

Section: Dietary Estimationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Dietary Estimationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Exploring imperial expansion using an isotopic analysis of paleodietary and paleomobility indicators in Chachapoyas, Peru

Toyne

Church

Tello

et al. 2016

American J Phys Anthropol

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“…In the Andes, both C 4 and C 3 plants are present, and a number of paleodietary studies have been completed in the region (e.g., Falabella, et al, 2008;Finucane, 2009;Hastorf, 1990, Kellner andSchoeninger, 2008;Tykot and Staller, 2002;White et al, 2009). Maize, which is the most common domesticated C 4 plant in the Andes, exhibits a range of light stable carbon isotope values between d 13 C (VPDB) ¼ À10& and d 13 C (VPDB) ¼ À14& in both modern and archaeological samples (DeNiro and Hastorf, 1985;Horn et al, 2009;Tieszen and Chapman, 1992).…”

Section: Paleodiet and Expected Carbon Oxygen Isotope Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Provisioning Inka feasts at Tiwanaku, Bolivia: the geographic origins of camelids in the Pumapunku complex

Knudson¹,

Gardella²,

Yaeger³

2012

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…In the Atacama context, maize is the major C 4 -crop, and there are no endemic C 4 resources. Maize gruel is also well-documented as a weaning food worldwide (Gibson, Ferguson, & Lehrfeld, 1998;Onofiok & Nnanyelugo, 1998), with isotopic evidence for its use throughout the Americas (Buikstra, Konigsberg, & Bullington, 1986;Finucane, 2009).…”

Section: Evidence For a Micronutrient Deficient Weaning Diet And Itmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multifaceted approach towards interpreting early life experience and infant feeding practices in the ancient Atacama Desert, Northern Chile

King

Snoddy

Millard

et al. 2018

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Interpreting early life experience in the past is of considerable interest to archaeologists, yet remains fraught with difficulty. Children are sensitive barometers of population health in general. In addition, infant feeding practices, and stresses experienced during infancy and childhood, have important effects on adult health and demographic changes. Understanding how diet and physiological stress interact is therefore of significance, but most bony indicators of stress have non‐specific etiologies that cannot be tied to events during childhood. The recent advent of incremental isotopic techniques means we now have the potential to identify periods of stress and dietary change during childhood through changes to stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios during tissue formation. Being able to establish these individual weaning trajectories allows us to consider individuality in past weaning choices, giving the bioarchaeologist a more nuanced picture of the past. Here, we investigate whether combining paleopathological and isotopic data can give insight into the synergy between infant feeding and stress. We present a case study of a 5‐year‐old child from an early agricultural period archaeological site in the northern Atacama Desert, Chile. We show that, despite physiological stress likely affecting isotopic ratios in this individual, a weaning curve is visible and the interpretation of weaning behaviour is possible. In addition, we suggest that there is isotopic evidence for a micronutrient deficient weaning diet that may be correlated with bony evidence for pathology.

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Maize and Sociopolitical Complexity in the Ayacucho Valley, Peru

Cited by 54 publications

References 35 publications

Exploring imperial expansion using an isotopic analysis of paleodietary and paleomobility indicators in Chachapoyas, Peru

Exploring imperial expansion using an isotopic analysis of paleodietary and paleomobility indicators in Chachapoyas, Peru

Provisioning Inka feasts at Tiwanaku, Bolivia: the geographic origins of camelids in the Pumapunku complex

A multifaceted approach towards interpreting early life experience and infant feeding practices in the ancient Atacama Desert, Northern Chile

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