The Servants of Machu Picchu: Life Histories and Population Dynamics in Late Horizon Peru Open Access
Turner, Bethany Lynn (2008)
Abstract
This study elucidates variation in early-life diet and geographic origin among the population from the Inca site of Machu Picchu, Peru. In use during the 15th and 16th centuries, Machu Picchu was one of several royal estates inhabited by permanent servants, though their specific social class was unknown. A central aspect of political economy in the Inca Empire was the large-scale relocation of populations, in different numbers and different ways according to assigned social class. Moreover, the Inca used particular social classes, such as the mitmacona, acllacona and yanacona, to circumvent traditional reciprocal obligations of elites to their subjects; the ability to accurately profile these different social classes in Inca-period skeletal populations, given that they were moved around the empire in different ways, stands to drastically improve interpretations of demography and function in ancient Andean populations. However, identifying population movement in ancient populations is difficult, due to the limitations and ambiguities inherent to common forms of archaeological and osteological evidence. Recently, isotopic analysis has shown promise in resolving this issue in Europe and parts of Mesoamerica, but this research is in its infancy in Andean South America. The Machu Picchu skeletal population is large, well-preserved and archaeologically well-contextualized; based on mortuary and osteological analyses, other researchers (Burger et al. 2003) have suggested that this population consists of yanacona. However, these other forms of data cannot unequivocally address this question, and Spanish colonial documents suggest more than one social class could have been present at Machu Picchu. The aims of this study are therefore twofold: (1) to isotopically test the hypothesis that these individuals are yanacona, and (2) to formulate a methodological and analytical framework for reconstructing residence/immigration, subsistence and health at Machu Picchu that can be applied to other skeletal populations. To satisfy these aims, I characterized stable (nonradioactive) isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, strontium and lead in preserved tooth enamel and dentine from a large segment of the burial population. In doing so, I was able to profile the diet and region of origin during infancy and childhood from the remains of individuals who died as adults. I also synthesized my own and previously-published data on sex, cemetery context, and pathological conditions of the cranium and dentition. Results show an unprecedented range of variation in the backgrounds of the population: almost all of the individuals in the study population were born elsewhere and immigrated to Machu Picchu after childhood. Moreover, several individuals appeared to have migrated to multiple regions during childhood. They consumed very different diets, which had complex relationships with their estimated region of origin and the prevalence of pathological conditions in their skeletal and dental tissues. Multivariate statistical analyses suggest not only the causal factors involved with certain pathological conditions, but also specific regions from which segments of the population were drawn. Importantly, the distribution of isotopic data for all of the elements studied is wide and stochastic, matching the expected distribution of yanacona. This stands as one of the most complex isotopic and osteological studies in the Andes, and is the first to use biochemical data to assess class- mediated migration. It joins a burgeoning body of research that utilizes biochemical and osteological analyses to paint a more nuanced picture of political economy, subsistence and health in ancient states.
Table of Contents
List of Tables and Figures
Chapter One: Introduction
Introduction
Overview of Chapters
Chapter Two: Inca Cultural and Ecological Context
Introduction
Cultural Adaptation and Evolution in the Central Andes
Continuity and Change: The Rise of the Inca State
Population Movement and Political Economic Change
Chapter Three: Study Design
Introduction
The Machu Picchu Population
Study Context
Research Design
Interpretive Significance
Chapter Four: Population Dynamics at Machu Picchu
Introduction
Assessing Migration in Prehistory
Stable Light Isotopes and Migration
Stable Heavy Isotopes and Migration
Study Objectives
Methods
Results
Discussion and Conclusions
Chapter Five: Dietary Patterns at Machu Picchu
Introduction
Assessing Diet in Prehistory
Ancient Andean Diet: An Overview
Study Objectives
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusions
Chapter Six: Possible Etiologies of Pathological Conditions at Machu Picchu
Introduction
Pathological Conditions at Machu Picchu
Statistical Methods and Results
Discussion
Conclusions
Chapter Seven: Summary of Findings, Conclusions and Future Directions
Finding #1
Finding #2
Finding #3
Case in Point: PA 3227 G71
Future Directions
Conclusions
Appendix: Tables and Figures
Cited References
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