Trade, diseases and droughts: a model for societal changes in the Cuzco area during the last 4000
years.
ALEX CHEPSTOW-LUSTY
GuamanPoma, c. 1615
2007
French Institute of Andean Studies, Lima, PeruFrench Institute of Andean Studies, Lima, Peru
French Institute of Andean Studies, Lima, Peru
Michael R. Frogley (Sussex)Brian Bauer (Illinois at Chicago)Melanie Leng (NERC Isotope Geosciences Lab)Karin Boessenkool (Amsterdam)Alain Gioda (IRD, Lima)Andy Cundy (Brighton)Christopher Carcaillet (Montpellier)
Environmental and Cultural Change in Cuzco and adjacent
regions
ECCUZECCUZ
……everybodyeverybody needs an acronym...needs an acronym...
INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION
WHY THE WHY THE REGIONREGION
OF CUZCO?OF CUZCO?
c. AD 1400c. AD 1400--15321532
*
Rise & Fall of the Inca State c. AD Rise & Fall of the Inca State c. AD 14001400--AD 1532AD 1532
Cultural expansion: Cultural expansion: TiwanakuTiwanaku c. AD 500c. AD 500--AD 1100AD 1100 and and WariWari c. AD 600c. AD 600--AD 1000AD 1000
Map of the Cuzco region showing the position of lakes, marshesand other sites
Inca road
Marcacocha
Pasture
Archaeological sitespanning 2700 years
Inca road
“Lake” Marcacocha
Pasture
River Patacancha
*1000
1500 INCA
Concentration of pollen types at Marcacocha, Perou (Chepstow-Lusty et al. 2003).
MarcacochaMarcacocha
ORIBATID MITES
Economy and demographics
© Roy Norton
1900
1800
1700
1600
1500
1400
1300
1200
1100
1000
900
8000 20 40 60 80
0 1 2 3N-content (%)
⊗
⊗
1900
1800
1700
1600
1500
1400
1300
1200
1100
1000
900
800
Killke
Wari
Inca
Post-Inca
Mites (cm-3)
1
2
3
45
20 40C-content (%)
AD AD
* INCA
Oribatid mites/cm3
N%
C%
*
*
CURRENT PROJECTS FUTURE PROJECTS
Marcacocha
1900
1800
1700
1600
1500
1400
1300
1200
1100
1000
900
800
0 20 40 80
x10 0 10 20
x10 0 10
x10 2 0 20 40 60
0 20 40 60 80
0 1 2 3
Ncontent (%)
⊗
⊗
��
-28 -26�13 C (‰)
-30
1900
1800
1700
1600
1500
1400
1300
1200
1100
1000
900
800
Killke
Wa ri
Inca
P ost -Inca
20 40
Ccontent (%)
‘M W P’(wa rm phase )
‘M W P’(a rid phase )
transitiona lpe riod
10 20 30
C:N rati o
“M W P”
“LIA ”
δC 13
Diatoms Juncusseeds
Macro-charcoal
Charo-phytes
OribatidMites
*
C% N%
IncaEmpire
1100
1500
AD
OTHERINDICATORS
⊗
⊗
⊗
⊗
⊗
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
••
••
•
•
••••
•
•
•
•
•
•
••
•
•
1000
0
1000
2000
AD
BC
1500
1500
500
500
0 20 40 60 80
0 4 8 12
0 20 40
0 10 20
0 20 40 60 0 10 x103 x102 x102 x102 x10%
⊗
Concentration (number of pollen grains per cm 3)
m-4
m-1
m-3
m-2
Number per cm 3
FORMATIVE
Qotakalli
Killke
Wari
Inca
Post-Inca
Archaic
1000
0
1000
2000
AD
BC
1500
1500
500
500
Inorganics SedgesAlnus
Chenopods
AmbrosiaMaize
MITES
*
LE JOURNAL DU CNRS (05/07) Le Figaro (17/04) Pour la Science (05) Le Point (05/04)Le Nouvel Observateur (3/06)…
FRANCE 3 (6/04/2007)
SCIENCE « Editor’s choice » (30/03/2007)Los Angeles Times (31/03), New York Times (3/04)
The Times (26/03/2007)BBC News (26/03) : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6490389.stmThe Daily Telegraph (27/03)
Interviews (26/03/2007) : Radio 4 (Today Programme), Radio 5 Live, Radio 2, Radio Scotland, Radio Wales, The World Service, Radio New Zealand, Radio France
Reference article : Chepstow-Lusty et al. (2007) Evaluating socio-economic change in the Andes using oribatid mite abundances as indicators of domestic animal densities. Journal of Archaeological Science, 34 : 1178-1186.
“WARM MEDIEVAL PERIOD”
(C. AD 1000-1490 )
VERSUS GLOBAL WARMING
SOLUTIONS:
Plantation and protection of Polylepis
and other native species (trees, shrubs and herbs)
Protection of forests
from livestock and
use of controlled fires
WhatWhat moremore? ?
* Restoration of irrigation canals and agricultural terraces where possible,
but always in close collaboration with local farmers and with a holistic
approach.
CHOQUEBAMBA TERRACES, PATACANCHA VALLEY,nr. OLLANTAYTAMBO-
CANAL SYSTEM RESTORED SUPPLYING THEM BUT IT WAS MOSTLY ABANDONED AFTER END OF
RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN 1998
fin
Integrated programmesof development, conservation and restoration.
And, in the future?
