The Late Intermediate Period (LIP, c. 1000–1450 CE) was a time of cultural change in the Peruvian highlands. During this time, interpersonal violence increased, and settlements were placed in defensive locations at high elevations. High altitude settlement was also a proxy for agropastoral economies. Coinciding with these cultural and economic transformations were shifts in mortuary practices in which the deceased were buried in above-ground tombs, known as chullpas, and in caves. In this paper, we examine the implications of these changes with respect to diet and mobility through a multi-isotopic analysis of human burials from three LIP sites in the Conchucos region. We analyzed strontium (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr), and carbon and nitrogen (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) isotopes in human skeletal remains (n = 101) from burials at the sites of Marcajirca (n = 66), Jato Viejo (n = 9), and Ushcugaga (n = 26). At all three sites, dietary mixing models using δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values suggest a diet based largely on maize and camelids, with minor consumption of C₃ plants and guinea pig. Human enamel ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values ranged from 0.7095 to 0.7125 and varied significantly between sites. All human ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values resembled those found in the regional geology, suggesting that individuals buried at the three sites were probably from the Conchucos region. In addition, patterns in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values may indicate that the individuals buried in chullpas, and caves were members of extended kin groups. We conclude that groups living in Conchucos during the LIP created and maintained local exchange networks that exploited vertically stacked production zones.

中后期（LIP，约公元 1000-1450 年）是秘鲁高地文化变革的时期。在此期间，人际暴力增加，定居点被安置在高海拔的防御地点。高海拔定居点也是农牧经济的代表。与这些文化和经济变革同时发生的是太平间做法的转变，死者被埋葬在地上墓葬（称为chullpas）和洞穴中。在本文中，我们通过对孔丘科斯地区三个 LIP 遗址的人类墓葬进行多同位素分析，研究了这些变化对饮食和流动性的影响。我们分析了锶 ( ⁸⁷ Sr/ ⁸⁶ Sr)、碳和氮 (δ ¹³来自 Marcajirca (n = 66)、Jato Viejo (n = 9) 和 Ushcugaga (n = 26) 遗址的人类骨骼遗骸 (n = 101) 中的C 和 δ ¹⁵ N) 同位素。在所有三个地点，使用 δ ¹³ C 和 δ ¹⁵ N 值的饮食混合模型表明饮食主要基于玉米和骆驼科动物，少量食用 C ₃植物和豚鼠。人牙釉质⁸⁷ Sr/ ⁸⁶ Sr 值范围从 0.7095 到 0.7125，并且在不同部位之间差异很大。所有人类⁸⁷ Sr/ ⁸⁶ Sr 值都与区域地质中发现的值相似，这表明埋在这三个地点的个体可能来自孔丘科斯地区。此外，图案在⁸⁷Sr/ ⁸⁶ Sr 值可能表明埋在chullpas和洞穴中的个体是扩展亲属群体的成员。我们得出的结论是，在 LIP 期间居住在孔丘科斯的群体创建并维护了利用垂直堆叠生产区的本地交换网络。