Bioarchaeology of social transition: A diachronic study of pathological conditions at Tumilaca la Chimba, Peru

Abstract

This study presents a diachronic analysis of pathological conditions from two samples of human remains at the archaeological site of Tumilaca la Chimba, Peru. The site includes two occupations, one dating to the terminal Middle Horizon or early Late Intermediate Period (LIP; ca. 950–1250 CE), as the Tiwanaku state underwent collapse. Despite political fragmentation, this occupation is characterised by substantial cultural continuity in Tiwanaku practices. The second occupation dates to the later LIP (ca. 1250–1476 CE) and is associated with significant changes in material culture. This study analyses skeletal data derived from cemeteries associated with each occupation in order to compare proxies of nutritional status, infection, and trauma. Paleopathological analysis of individuals from the terminal Middle Horizon Tumilaca cemeteries (N = 20) and LIP Estuquiña cemetery (N = 23) reveals significant differences in age and sex distributions; this could be an artefact of looting and differential excavation or a possible shift in fertility and population demography. There are also differences, though not statistically significant, in the frequencies of pathological conditions including cribra orbitalia, which is higher in the Tumilaca sample, and oral decay, which is higher in the Estuquiña sample. These results tentatively suggest that physiological stressors—particularly those occurring in childhood—did not necessarily abate at this site over time but rather shifted in their causes. These results underscore the importance of bioarchaeological contributions to theorising local experiences of larger sociopolitical transitions in the pre‐Hispanic Andes.

Climate change intensified violence in the south-central Andean highlands from 1.5 to 0.5 ka

“…Our data compilation resulted in bioarchaeological data from 29 publications for a sample of 4045 individuals from 58 sites spanning 1070 years in the south-central Andes (see Fig. 1; (Fouant, 1984; Blom and Bandy, 1999; Kellner, 2002; de la Vega et al, 2005; Torres-Rouff et al, 2005, 2015, 2018; Lessa and de Souza, 2006; Tung, 2007, 2008c, 2012, 2014a; Andrushko et al, 2009; Cagigao, 2009; Andrushko and Torres, 2011; Kurin, 2012; Arkush and Tung, 2013; Whalen, 2014; Juengst and Skidmore, 2016; Kurin et al, 2016; Juengst et al, 2017; Lowman et al, 2019; Juengst, 2020; McCool, 2020; Scaffidi and Tung, 2020; Torres-Rouff, 2020; Bey et al, 2021). Unfortunately, disturbances to the dust cycles limit the temporal range of the paleoclimate record to ca.…”

Ritualidad fúnebre e identidad en el Quero y el tazón Tumilaca de Moquegua, Perú

“…La ocupación Tumilaca incluye una aldea y cuatro cementerios localizados en las faldas del cerro La Chimba (fi g. 1b). Diversas investigaciones se han llevado a cabo en el sitio, con excavaciones en los contextos residenciales y ceremoniales de la aldea, así como en los cuatro cementerios, estudiando, entre otros temas, la organización sociopolítica de estas poblaciones, sus prácticas cotidianas y rituales, la alfarería y producción de bienes, la participación en redes de economía, las patologías y los índices de salud, las relaciones con la colonia original de inmigrantes del altiplano, el impacto del colapso político del Estado Tiwanaku y la construcción de identidad en dicha si-tuación (Sharratt 2010(Sharratt , 2011(Sharratt , 2015(Sharratt , 2016a(Sharratt , 2016b(Sharratt , 2017(Sharratt , 2019(Sharratt , 2020Sutter & Sharratt 2010;Sharratt et al 2012;Sharratt et al 2015;Parker & Sharratt 2017;Lowman et al 2019). El conjunto de esta evidencia ha permitido establecer que la ocupación Tumilaca se conforma con grupos humanos que estaban migrando valle arriba a partir de la desintegración de la colonia altiplánica que se había instalado en el valle medio de Moquegua, bajo el alero del Estado Tiwanaku.…”

The biological index of frailty: A new index for the assessment of frailty in human skeletal remains

“…Different studies have compared the health status of two or more populations (DeWitte & Bekvalac, 2010;Kyle et al, 2018;Lowman et al, 2019;Novak et al, 2018) using single biomarkers of stress.…”

“…Different studies have compared the health status of two or more populations (DeWitte & Bekvalac, 2010; Kyle et al, 2018; Lowman et al, 2019; Novak et al, 2018) using single biomarkers of stress. While it is worth considering each biomarker separately, as it can give information on dissimilarities in diet, and in expositions to infections and genetic diseases, it is also essential to consider the overall health of individuals.…”