Lucia Margarita Diaz

LUCIA DIAZ, then a graduate student at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded a grant in October 2022 to aid research on “Pastoral Subsistence and Mobility Strategies in the South-Central Andes during the 13th-15th century CE,” supervised by Dr. Sarah Baitzel. This project investigates the variability of camelid herding practices in the south-central Andean highlands and lowlands from the Middle Horizon (MH; 500 – 1100 CE) to the Late Intermediate Period (LIP, 1100-1450 CE) using stable isotope analyses. This study reconstructs camelid diets and mobility patterns to explore how specific cultural and ecological conditions might have underlined variations of animal herding strategies. By comparing sites from distinct environments, this project investigates regional and temporal differences in camelid herding practices. Carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope analysis was conducted on sequential tooth enamel subsections (n of total subsections = 160) from 14 camelid teeth. In addition, stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis was conducted on camelid bone (n = 29) samples from archaeological sites. The results from this study suggest that ancient pastoralists engaged in traditional herding strategies (i.e., local highland pasturing, seasonal vertical mobility, caravanning) rooted in traditional ecological knowledge and practices. Herders also adapted to environmental changes (i.e., long-term drought, lake fluctuations) and sociopolitical changes (i.e., state collapse, settlement relocation, fluctuating interregional exchange networks).