202557(en)/5 - Tiwanaku Camelids in the Moquegua Colony of Southern Peru: Size and Morphotype Variation
TIWANAKU CAMELIDS IN THE MOQUEGUA COLONY OF SOUTHERN PERU: SIZE AND MORPHOTYPE VARIATION
CAMÉLIDOS TIAHUANACO EN LA COLONIA DE MOQUEGUA AL SUR DEL PERÚ: VARIACIONES DE TAMAÑO Y MORFOTIPOS
Susan D. deFrance y Juliana Rubinatto Serrano
This study examines the size and variability of camelids at four Tiwanaku sites located in the Moquegua Valley of far southern Peru where the Tiwanaku culture of highland Bolivia established a large colony (ca. 600-1000 C.E.). We present quantitative data on camelid size using morphometrics and log difference ratios along with statistical analyses of these data. We also qualitatively assigned camelid bones to size categories, small or large, to estimate the size trends of the camelids in the assemblage. We use these data to argue that the breeding of large-sized camelids served both economic need and social desire. Large camelids, probable caravan animals, were utilitarian animals capable of traveling between Moquegua and their highland capital in Bolivia to transports goods and information between the two regions. The analyzed sample presented here is the largest morphometric dataset for Tiwanaku sites thus far. This work contributes to the understanding of variation in the size of camelids in the Andes and offers a perspective on how the breeding of these animals may have been a deliberate strategy not only for utilitarian purposes, but also to reinforce the cultural identity of Andean populations.
