VARIATION IN DIETARY HISTORIES AMONG THE IMMIGRANTS OF MACHU PICCHU: CARBON AND NITROGEN ISOTOPE EVIDENCE / VARIACIÓN EN HISTORIAS DIETÉTICAS ENTRE LOS INMIGRANTES DE MACHU PICCHU: EVIDENCIA DE ISÓTOPOS DE CARBONO Y NITRÓGENO

This study estimates dietary composition during infancy and childhood among 71 adults interred at the site of Machu Picchu, a royal Inca estate in the southern highlands of Peru. Recent research suggests that the majority of individuals were members of the cosmopolitian yana and aclla servant classe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chungará 2010-07, Vol.42 (2), p.515-534
Main Authors: Turner, Bethany L., Kingston, John D., Armelagos, George J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bioantropología
Bones
Childhood
Collagens
Corn
Diet
Dietary protein
Incan culture
Nitrogen isotopes
Teeth
Tooth enamel
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Summary:This study estimates dietary composition during infancy and childhood among 71 adults interred at the site of Machu Picchu, a royal Inca estate in the southern highlands of Peru. Recent research suggests that the majority of individuals were members of the cosmopolitian yana and aclla servant classes, and immigrated to the site from different regions; individual dietary histories may have been similarly varied. Diet was estimated at multiple points in early life through characterization of carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in tooth enamel and dentin, which preserve isotopic values from the first years of life. These data were compared to isotopic data from modern food samples, and analyzed using recently-published statistical models. A subset of individuals also has existing bone collagen isotopic data, which reflects diet from the last decade of life and thus permits comparison over the life course. Results indicate significant variation in enamel δ13C (approximately 12‰), dentin δ13C (approximately 9‰) and δ15N (approximately 8‰) between individuals across the study population. These findings suggest substantial variability in diet during infancy and childhood, and support interpretations that this population was primarily yanacona or mixed yanacona/acllacona. This study also highlights the utility of multi-tissue isotopic analysis in more nuanced reconstruction of diet in the ancient Andes. Este estudio estima la composición dietética durante la infancia y la niñez en 71 entierros de adultos del sitio Machu Picchu, una propiedad real Inca en las montañas de Perú. Esta investigación sugiere que la mayoría de los individuos eran miembros de una clase cosmopolita de servidores yana y aclla que inmigraron a este sitio desde diferentes regiones, por lo que sus historias dietéticas tempranas pudieron haber sido variadas. La dieta fue estimada en múltiples puntos de la primera parte de la vida de estos individuos a través de la caracterización de las proporciones de isotópicos estables de carbón y nitrógeno conservados en el esmalte y dentina de la dentadura desde las primeras épocas de vida de los individuos. Estos datos fueron comparados con datos isotópicos de alimentos actuales y analizados con modelos estadísticos recientemente publicados. De un subconjunto de individuos se obtuvieron, además, datos isotópicos del colágeno contenido en los huesos, que reflejan la dieta de la última década de vida de éstos, lo que permite hacer una comparación del ciclo t
ISSN:0716-1182
0717-7356