Lucia Margarita Diaz

This study explores Andean prehispanic pastoral herding strategies and their variability in the highlands of southern Peru during a time of drought and sociopolitical changes. Andean pastoral communities today rotate pastures, construct irrigation systems, and diversify economic and subsistence resources to mitigate the impacts of climate change and sociopolitical factors. This dissertation research will investigate pastoral mitigation strategies at the archaeological site of Ayawiri in Peru (1260-1500 CE). Using multi-isotopic analysis, I will analyze camelid and plant remains from Ayawiri (4,100 masl) to examine intra-community variability in camelid herding strategies, such as seasonal local and vertical mobility. Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium isotope analyses of archaeologically recovered camelid and plant remains from various residential compounds at Ayawiri will provide insights into temporal and spatial scales, and variability of herding practices among households. As a comparative baseline, I will also apply the same analyses to modern plant and animal remains from the region to characterize the isotopic composition of highland pastures and the seasonal variability of plant communities such as bofedales, which are presently endangered by climate change.