Análisis isotópico seriado de una muestra de cabello del individuo inhumado en el volcán Quehuar (Salta, Argentina)

Abstract

In 1999 the frozen remains of a young female individual of Inca affiliation were found on the summit of volcano Quehuar (Salta, Argentina) at an elevation of 6130 masl. The individual, part of a capacocha ritual, was partially destroyed due to a dynamite explosion executed by looters. In this work, the stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen on a serial sample of hair is presented and discussed to investigate the eating patterns of the last year and a half of the individual's life. The results indicate a diet that included resources under the C4 photosynthetic pathway and slight dietary variation during the period considered. These results constitute a contribution to the reconstruction of the life histories of the individuals associated with high-altitude Inca burials, accounting for the diversity of experiences they went through in the months before their death.