Small scale camelid husbandry on the north coast of Peru (Virú Valley): Insight from stable isotope analysis

• Camelids were herded locally on the north coast of Peru during the EIP and MH.
• Coastal camelid husbandry was a small-scale activity organized at the family or household level.
• Coastal camelid herds were not large.
• Camelids were likely kept near settlements and provided with variable fodder.
• Quantification of isotopic variation has considerable potential in archaeological studies.

This study presents carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions for bone collagen and serially sampled hair from a large collection of South American camelids from two Early Intermediate Period (c. 200 BC to AD 800) sites (Huaca Gallinazo and Huaca Santa Clara) in the Virú Valley (north coast of Peru). The isotopic compositions of these camelids are consistent with plant isotopic compositions from coastal and low altitude settings, but not from high altitude environments, suggesting that at least some of these animals were raised locally. We present several methodological approaches with respect to the treatment of isotopic data from archaeological contexts, outlining quantitative approaches that can provide considerable insight into isotopic variation (within groups, within individuals, between groups, between individuals), as well as temporal variation in isotopic compositions in incrementally growing tissues. We contend that focusing explicitly on variation in animal life histories has the greatest potential with respect to better understanding human–animal interactions in the past. The results demonstrate a large amount of isotopic variability among individuals and an inconsistent amount of within-individual variation, with no consistent shift in the diet leading up to the time of death for a group of animals from a single ritual event. This result suggests that camelid husbandry in the Virú Valley was a small-scale activity, with groups of camelids being managed by families or other small social units. Animals were likely kept primarily in close association to human habitation sites and provided with a diverse array of fodder. These prolonged interactions, occurring at a limited spatial scale, would have allowed a high degree of mutual familiarity to develop between humans and animals. Isotopic compositions for late Middle Horizon (c. AD 1100) sacrificed llamas from Huaca Santa Clara are consistent with Early Intermediate Period camelids, suggesting temporal stability in this small-scale camelid management strategy on the coast, which was fundamentally different from camelid herding in the pastures of the Andean highlands. Isotopic analysis of prehistoric livestock has great potential with respect to better understanding animal husbandry practices and human–animal interactions in the broadest sense because the data provide insight into the ways in which animals lived, rather than the manner in which they died. The variation-centered methodologies outlined in this paper provide a framework with which to approach some of these issues, highlighting the significance of understanding variability in livestock life histories.