Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PACHAMAMA (Paleodietary analyses of the first Andean cities: high-resolution assessment to macronutrients using a multiproxy approach.)
Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2024-09-30
The PACHAMAMA project was proposed to explore the socioeconomic factors that supported the rise of the earliest urban centers in the Americas—an intriguing and complex topic in New World archaeology. Focusing on Peruvian North-Central Coast (PNCC), a key region in understanding the emergence of the first Andean cities around 5,000 years ago, and one of the most important archaeological regions of the world, PACHAMAMA investigates the dietary regimes at the onset of Andean civilization and the main dietary shifts over the Formative Period (3000-1 BCE).
Using cutting-edge palaeodietary reconstruction methods, PACHAMAMA examined two major theories on early urban development, 1) the Maritime Foundations of Andean Civilization (Moseley 1975), a seminal hypothesis which suggests that Andean Civilization, particularly in the PNCC, was based on fishing economy, and 2) recent archaeological evidence that suggests that agriculture preceded the rise of early urban centres and plant cultivation was critical to support the development of complex societies in the region.
PACHAMAMA’s primary research objectives were to 1) analyze the overall diet of people from early Formative urban centers (3000–1 BCE) at various Supe Valley locations, 2) assess the role of plants and marine protein at each site and period, and 3) examine if dietary changes occurred over time due to agricultural expansion or trade. To achieve these goals, PACHAMAMA used innovative isotopic techniques from (bio)archaeology and biomolecular archaeology —including stable isotopes from bulk collagen from bones and teeth, analysis of carbon from single amino acids or Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA), and Bayesian Models— at the Institute of Science and Environmental Research of the Universitat Atutònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) with the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme.
Using cutting-edge palaeodietary reconstruction methods, PACHAMAMA examined two major theories on early urban development, 1) the Maritime Foundations of Andean Civilization (Moseley 1975), a seminal hypothesis which suggests that Andean Civilization, particularly in the PNCC, was based on fishing economy, and 2) recent archaeological evidence that suggests that agriculture preceded the rise of early urban centres and plant cultivation was critical to support the development of complex societies in the region.
PACHAMAMA’s primary research objectives were to 1) analyze the overall diet of people from early Formative urban centers (3000–1 BCE) at various Supe Valley locations, 2) assess the role of plants and marine protein at each site and period, and 3) examine if dietary changes occurred over time due to agricultural expansion or trade. To achieve these goals, PACHAMAMA used innovative isotopic techniques from (bio)archaeology and biomolecular archaeology —including stable isotopes from bulk collagen from bones and teeth, analysis of carbon from single amino acids or Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA), and Bayesian Models— at the Institute of Science and Environmental Research of the Universitat Atutònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) with the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme.
After two years of research, the PACHAMAMA project is providing significant new data on the role of marine resources and plant-based diets in urban development on the PNCC and the Central Andes as a whole. Results indicate that the main source of dietary calories of the earliest PNCC urban centers were plants from the C3 photosynthetic pathway such as tubers, legumes, and fruits, even among coastal sites where protein intake derived primarily from marine resources. This trend, initiated at least 3000 years BCE, continued until the mid-first millennium BCE, when diets based on C3 plants gradually shifted to include C4 plants. Given that only two C4 species —amaranth and maize— were consumed in this region, the isotopic data from the latter half of the first millennium BCE and beyond (i.e. the Early Intermediate Period dated 1-600 CE), can reliably be attributed to maize. Additionally, climatic oscillations associated with the El Niño Southern Oscilation , which produced lower sea surface temperatures and increased marine productivity alongside declines in inland agricultural yields, appear to have significantly influenced dietary adaptations across different periods. Strontium and Oxygen isotopes, used to understand mobility patterns, yielded valuable insights into the movement of people across the PNCC and other areas of the Peruvian Central Coast.
In sum, PACHAMAMA project has successfully generated robust isotopic data that deepen our understanding of diet and social organization in early Andean urban centers, allowing us to trace dietary changes over time and reveal the economic foundations of early Andean civilization. After approximately 50 years of debate, it is now evident that the development of Andean civilization, including the earliest urban centers of the PNCC, was grounded in plant cultivation, complemented by marine protein where ecological and climatic conditions permitted. This agricultural development involved highly adapted practices suited to arid conditions, alongside high-risk farming characterized by sophisticated land and water management underpinned by a strong ideological system, a pattern widely supported for Formative-period populations in the Central Andes.
In sum, PACHAMAMA project has successfully generated robust isotopic data that deepen our understanding of diet and social organization in early Andean urban centers, allowing us to trace dietary changes over time and reveal the economic foundations of early Andean civilization. After approximately 50 years of debate, it is now evident that the development of Andean civilization, including the earliest urban centers of the PNCC, was grounded in plant cultivation, complemented by marine protein where ecological and climatic conditions permitted. This agricultural development involved highly adapted practices suited to arid conditions, alongside high-risk farming characterized by sophisticated land and water management underpinned by a strong ideological system, a pattern widely supported for Formative-period populations in the Central Andes.
Four scientific articles have been published in prestigious open-access peer-reviewed journals of (bio)archaeology, and other two are currently under construction. These findings contribute substantially to the debate about the economic basis of early cities in the Central Andes. Other research results were or will be available as part of communication/diffusion activities for the wide-public or stakeholders. The expected impact of the PACHAMAMA project lies in the relevance of the scientific data produced.
Additional research products include two databases published in the Catalan Open Research Area (CORA repository), aligning with EU open-research policies. The first, the South American Archaeological Isotopic Database (SAAID), compiles all previously published isotopic data of archaeological interest from South American countries, including online sources and grey literature. The second contains all isotopic measurements (in SAAID format) produced by the PACHAMAMA project. These datasets produced are a significant contribution to isotopic studies in South America. SAAID, published in 2024, has already impacted my career, helping me engage with research networks and positioning me as a leading proponent of stable isotope applications in Peruvian and South American archaeology. Other contributions include a podium presentation at a regional conference in Bolivia, the IX Palaeopathology Association Meeting in South America (PAMinSA XI, August 2023). All these products have been disseminated through different communicative strategies, specially through social media, academic networking and online open-source repositories (Press releases, Facebook, Instagram, ResearchGate, ORCID).
The project has further catalyzed the implementation of Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA) by Liquid Chromatography-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (LC-IRMS) as a new isotopic analysis service at ICTA, a leading institution for environmental studies in Europe. The ICTA is now the first in Spain and one of the few that offers this state-of-the-art service worldwide. This aspect of the PACHAMAMA project promises to impact isotopic studies positively in South America, Spain, and other EU countries. Thanks to the training received in the ICTA-UAB, the fellow has largely improved his technical background and academic skills, and strengthened his abilities to assume a leading position in his future research career.
Additional research products include two databases published in the Catalan Open Research Area (CORA repository), aligning with EU open-research policies. The first, the South American Archaeological Isotopic Database (SAAID), compiles all previously published isotopic data of archaeological interest from South American countries, including online sources and grey literature. The second contains all isotopic measurements (in SAAID format) produced by the PACHAMAMA project. These datasets produced are a significant contribution to isotopic studies in South America. SAAID, published in 2024, has already impacted my career, helping me engage with research networks and positioning me as a leading proponent of stable isotope applications in Peruvian and South American archaeology. Other contributions include a podium presentation at a regional conference in Bolivia, the IX Palaeopathology Association Meeting in South America (PAMinSA XI, August 2023). All these products have been disseminated through different communicative strategies, specially through social media, academic networking and online open-source repositories (Press releases, Facebook, Instagram, ResearchGate, ORCID).
The project has further catalyzed the implementation of Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA) by Liquid Chromatography-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (LC-IRMS) as a new isotopic analysis service at ICTA, a leading institution for environmental studies in Europe. The ICTA is now the first in Spain and one of the few that offers this state-of-the-art service worldwide. This aspect of the PACHAMAMA project promises to impact isotopic studies positively in South America, Spain, and other EU countries. Thanks to the training received in the ICTA-UAB, the fellow has largely improved his technical background and academic skills, and strengthened his abilities to assume a leading position in his future research career.