PI: Alyssa Bolster

Our investigations are directed towards reconstructing diet and migratory patterns in ancient Peru using stable isotope analysis of human bone and soft tissue. Our key research questions include:

What made up the typical diet of individuals in the Chachapoya cultural region of the northeastern Peruvian Andes during the Middle Horizon and Late Intermediate Period (600-1150 CE)?

How did individual and group identity (interpreted through locality, cranial vault modification style, and archaeological context) influence everyday diet and health?

What were the impacts of Wari imperial expansion in the Chachapoya cultural region, and how might imperialism have been embodied by Wari migrants and locals alike?