Northern Coast Of Peru Research Articles

Malleable victims and discourses of dominance at Huaca de la Luna

At Huaca de la Luna, an ancient Moche ceremonial centre in northern coastal Peru (c. AD 200–850), archaeologists excavated ceramic vessels that seem to depict captive warriors defeated in battle. These effigies participate in a visual rhetoric of ritual violence that might be compared to the treatment of modern prisoners in the war on terror and to the contemporary exertion of state power. Interpretation of these effigies, some with representations of costumes incised and/or painted on their bodies, is informed by the treatment of sacrificial victims found in two areas of the site. These effigies were standardized, yet malleable: made from clay pressed into moulds, fired, and then individually decorated. Their appearances and presence offer important perspectives on the polity’s discourse of power over actual humans who were found sacrificed at this same site. This essay addresses these effigies as related to the exertion of polity power. It also reveals how they manifest ideas about the relationship between the represented body and the living body. This results in a body-as-iconography that reinforces political power through repetition and regularity. These effigies favour a Foucauldian reading that writes the will of the polity on the bodies of the victims.

English

A strain of Aspergillus niger PR-142 native to northern coast of Peru was subjected to successive processes of mutagenesis by ultraviolet light (UV) irradiation at 253.7 nm to increase the production of fructooligosaccharides (FOS). An initial selection was made by considering the mutants with increased invertase activity followed by the measurement of β-fructosyltransferase (FTase) activity both in mycelium and extracellular environment. Five selected mutants, which showed increased values of mycelium invertase activity (ranging from 101 to 128% as compared to the parent strain) at 40°C and sodium dodecylsulfate 0.15 (w/v), were grown in a fermentative medium in 50 mL conical tubes on a rotary shaker, and their FTase activity was determined. The 6-M69 mutant showed the most active mycelium activity of 1.5 fold as compared to the parent strain. When the same reaction was performed between 1 to 4 h, at the 3rd h, the mycelium FTase activity significantly increased up to 7 and 3 times in the mutant and parental strain, respectively. Finally, 4 mutants and the parental PR-142 were genetically characterized using inter simple sequence repeat polymerase chain reaction (ISSR-PCR) molecular markers. This analysis showed a significant 33% polymorphic bands between the parent and mutant markers, and 20 bands were unique to the mutants. Key words: Aspergillus, mutagenesis, β-fructosyltransferase, fructooligosaccharides, inter simple sequence repeat polymerase chain reaction (ISSR-PCR).

Negros y milicianos pardos en Piura durante las Cortes de Cádiz (1812-1813)

Los Borbones van a imponer una variedad de transformaciones de las diferenciaciones y categorías culturales institucionalizadas en la provincia de Piura. El estudio de estos cambios políticos a principios del siglo XIX es muy escaso. En los ensayos que publicamos en 2013 y 2014 verificamos que al interior de este microespacio regional de la costa norte del virreinato del Perú se había producido una redefinición de las fronteras culturales entre las agrupaciones poblacionales que ocupaban los valles de La Chira y el Piura. En esta ocasión describimos y analizamos la actuación de un negro liberto en Sechura y una página de la historia de los milicianos pardos en la ciudad de Piura a comienzos del siglo XIX.

Impacts of different ENSO flavors and tropical Pacific convection variability (ITCZ, SPCZ) on austral summer rainfall in South America, with a focus on Peru

ABSTRACTEl Niño in the eastern and central Pacific has different impacts on the rainfall of South America, and the atmospheric pathways through the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) and Inter‐Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) are poorly understood. To address this, we performed linear regression analysis of E (eastern Pacific) and C (central Pacific) indices of sea surface temperature (SST), as well as precipitation indices for the SPCZ and ITCZ, with gridded precipitation and reanalysis data sets during the austral summer (December–February) for the 1980–2016 period. Positive C induces dry anomalies along the tropical Andes and northern South America (NSA), while wet anomalies prevail over southeastern South America (SESA). Moreover, it produces wet conditions in the northwestern Peruvian Amazon. In contrast, positive E enhances wet conditions along the coasts of Ecuador and northern Peru associated with the southward displacement of the eastern Pacific ITCZ and induces dry conditions in Altiplano, Amazon basin, and northeastern Brazil (NEB). Both El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indices are associated with weakened upper‐level easterly flow over Peru, but it is more restricted to the central and southern Peruvian Andes with positive E. Both SPCZ indices, the zonal position of the SPCZ and its latitudinal displacement, suppress rainfall along western Peruvian Andes when are positive, but the latter also inhibits rainfall over the Bolivian Altiplano. They are also linked to upper‐level westerly wind anomalies overall of Peru, but these anomalies do not extend as far south in the first. The southward displacement of the eastern Pacific ITCZ also induces wet anomalies in SESA while dry anomalies prevail over NEB, the western Amazon basin, and Bolivia. Oppositely, the southward displacement of the central Pacific ITCZ induces dry anomalies in NEB and along the northern coast of Peru; while wet anomalies occur mainly in eastern Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia through an enhancement of the low level jet.

Use of non-invasive techniques to determine population size of the marine otter in two regions of Peru

The marine otter (Lontra felina) can be found on rocky shores from the northern coast of Peru (9°S) to the extreme south of Argentina (56°S). This species is currently classified as endangered but there is little information on population size because marine otters are very difficult to observe and count. Between June and August 2012 we collected 240 samples of marine otter feces from seven localities in Peru. All locations were visited four times. One-hundred and thirty-three samples (55%) were successfully amplified at five to seven microsatellite loci and a sex-linked marker. We identified a minimum of 80 individuals (41 males and 39 females) across all locations for a density estimate of 4.4 otters per km, a value about 2X higher than estimates based on previous visual counts. Estimates using the program CAPWIRE averaged 12.6 otters/km, a value six times higher than estimates based on previous visual counts, although confidence limits were large due to the low number of recaptures. There was a strong positive relationship between the number of fresh scats and the number of unique genotypes, suggesting scat counts might be used to estimate the minimum number of otters at a site. Non-invasive genotyping of marine otter feces and scat counts will be valuable tools for estimating population sizes and monitoring movements of this secretive species.

Factores detrás de la renuencia al control vectorial del Dengue en tres distritos del Norte del Perú

To identify factors behind a community's reluctance to dengue vector control efforts in three districts of the Piura region in Peru. Fieldwork was conducted in May 2015 in the districts of Mori, Rinconada, Llicuar, and Sullana on the northern coast of Peru. Qualitative research methods were employed to understand varying perspectives of individuals involved in the dengue issue. Techniques such as interviewing and observation were used. Interviews included open-ended, in-depth questions. Individual interviews, focus groups, and home visits of community members were performed. Reluctance was based on four arguments: 1. Fumigation is ineffective; 2. Personnel intervening are untrustworthy; 3. The timing of activities is unsuitable; and 4. The larvicide used affected water quality and taste. There was clear heterogeneity in reluctant groups: community members with high economic status, residents in high-risk or "red zone" areas, families with someone working as a healthcare professional, and houses with an ill or disabled member. The arguments behind reluctance as well as the composition of groups reluctant to vector control during dengue outbreaks in the districts examined were heterogeneous. Control strategies must take this heterogeneity into account.

Clonal population expansion in an outbreak of Plasmodium falciparum on the northwest coast of Ecuador.

BackgroundDetermining the source of malaria outbreaks in Ecuador and identifying remaining transmission foci will help in malaria elimination efforts. In this study, the genetic signatures of Plasmodium falciparum isolates, obtained from an outbreak that occurred in northwest Ecuador from 2012 to 2013, were characterized.MethodsMolecular investigation of the outbreak was performed using neutral microsatellites, drug resistance markers and pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 genotyping.ResultsA majority of parasite isolates (31/32) from this outbreak were of a single clonal type that matched a clonal lineage previously described on the northern coast of Peru and a historical isolate from Ecuador. All but one isolate carried a chloroquine-resistant pfcrt genotype and sulfadoxine- and pyrimethamine-sensitive pfdhps and pfdhfr genotypes. Pfmdr1 mutations were identified in codons 184 and 1042. In addition, most samples (97 %) showed presence of pfhrp2 gene.ConclusionsThis study indicates that parasites from a single clonal lineage largely contributed to this outbreak and this lineage was found to be genetically related to a lineage previously reported in the Peruvian coast and historical Ecuadorian parasites.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12936-015-1019-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Place Identity, Participation, and Emotional Climate in a Rural Community From the Northern Coast of Peru

Currently, in rural communities from the Peruvian northern coast, it is common to find a climate of distrust and pessimism that accompanies the lack of coordinated social action and community participation among residents. This study analyzes the relationships that people develop with regard to the place where they live in, how it associates to the ways they participate in their community and the relationship that these two variables have with the perceived emotional climate, in a rural community from the northern coast of Peru (n = 81). Results indicate that place identity is significantly associated with a high community participation and a climate of trust in the community. Finally, a Path Analysis is performed to analyze comprehensively the relationship between these variables. The results suggest that place identity does have an influence on perceived positive climate in the community, being mediated by the dimensions of community participation.

Milagros por la Similitud: Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Colonial Andes

This study examines the cult of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the colonial Andes during the second half of the sixteenth century. It focuses on a pair of sculpted copies of the Extremaduran Virgin venerated in Pacasmayo, on the northern coast of Peru, and in Guápulo, near Quito. Neither of these sculptures survives in its original form. Written sources, including the foundational narratives of the new cults, attribute the images to Spanish or Spanish-born artists, crediting an unnamed Sevillian as the author of the imported Pacasmayo Virgin and Diego de Robles, a Sevillian immigrant established in Quito, as the author of the Virgin of Guápulo. Robles was also responsible for the closely related and unusually well-preserved Virgin of El Quinche. That none of these images resemble the Spanish Guadalupe, a diminutive late twelfth-century sculpture of the enthroned Virgin and Child, is a fact that deserves consideration. This article analyses the routine insistence on similitude as a means of transferring sacrality and power from originals to copies, highlighting both religious practices and material processes.

Molecular Epidemiology of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Outbreak, Tumbes, Peru, 2010-2012.

During 2010-2012, an outbreak of 210 cases of malaria occurred in Tumbes, in the northern coast of Peru, where no Plasmodium falciparum malaria case had been reported since 2006. To identify the source of the parasite causing this outbreak, we conducted a molecular epidemiology investigation. Microsatellite typing showed an identical genotype in all 54 available isolates. This genotype was also identical to that of parasites isolated in 2010 in the Loreto region of the Peruvian Amazon and closely related to clonet B, a parasite lineage previously reported in the Amazon during 1998-2000. These findings are consistent with travel history of index case-patients. DNA sequencing revealed mutations in the Pfdhfr, Pfdhps, Pfcrt, and Pfmdr1 loci, which are strongly associated with resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine, and deletion of the Pfhrp2 gene. These results highlight the need for timely molecular epidemiology investigations to trace the parasite source during malaria reintroduction events.

Impacto de la represa de Gallito Ciego en la estabilidad de línea de costa en la desembocadura del río Jequetepeque, Perú

espanolLos sedimentos fluviales cumplen un papel fundamental para el abastecimiento de las playas en la costa peruana cuya importancia no ha sido aun debidamente estimada. Con este fin, el estudio se centra en el papel que desempena los sedimentos fluviales en la estabilidad de la linea de costa en la desembocadura del rio Jequetepeque, ubicado en la costa norte del Peru. Este rio, cuya cuenca abarca una superficie de 4.2 mil kilometros cuadrados, aporta en promedio mas de 900 millones de metros cubicos al ano (MMC ano-1) de agua y entre 2.9 y 8.0 MMC ano-1 de sedimentos al oceano. A partir del inicio de las operaciones de la represa de Gallito Ciego en 1987, mas de 104 MMC de sedimentos quedaron retenidos en el embalse. Con el fin de evaluar la influencia de la represa en el comportamiento de la desembocadura, se llevo a cabo la comparacion entre las lineas de costa de los anos 1962, 1980, 2003 y 2011 con el soporte de SIG. A partir del analisis se identifico el retroceso de la desembocadura entre 2003 y 2011 con tasas de -2.6 m ano-1. Por otra parte, el retroceso de la linea de costa observado en toda el area de estudio, entre 1962 y 2011, podria estar relacionado con la posible elevacion del nivel del mar y la tendencia a la erosion de las playas a escala global. EnglishRiver plays an essential function in providing sediments to the beach stability but this importance has not yet been properly estimated on the Peruvian coastline. So, the aim of this study focuses on the role of river sediments in the stability of the coastline at the Jequetepeque river mouth, located at the northern coast of Peru. This river, whose basin covers an area of ​​4,200 square kilometers, provides in average more than 900 million cubic meters a year (MMC yr-1) of water, and 2.9-8.0 MMC yr-1 of sediments to the ocean. Since the start of the Gallito Ciego dam in 1987, more than 104 MMC of sediments were retained into the reservoir. In order to assess the impact of the dam on the stability of the river mouth, a comparison among different coastline moments (for the years 1962, 1980, 2003 and 2011) with the support of GIS, were made. The results showed that the river mouth retreat to the land between 2003 and 2011 with rates of -2.6 m year-1. Moreover, the retreat of the coastline observed throughout the study area between 1962 and 2011, it could be related to the potential sea level rise and the trend of the worldwide beach erosion.

Fast Growing, Healthy and Resident Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) at Two Neritic Sites in the Central and Northern Coast of Peru: Implications for Conservation

In order to enhance protection and conservation strategies for endangered green turtles (Chelonia mydas), the identification of neritic habitats where this species aggregates is mandatory. Herein, we present new information about the population parameters and residence time of two neritic aggregations from 2010 to 2013; one in an upwelling dominated site (Paracas ∼14°S) and the other in an ecotone zone from upwelling to warm equatorial conditions (El Ñuro ∼4°S) in the Southeast Pacific. We predicted proportionally more adult individuals would occur in the ecotone site; whereas in the site dominated by an upwelling juvenile individuals would predominate. At El Ñuro, the population was composed by (15.3%) of juveniles, (74.9%) sub-adults, and (9.8%) adults, with an adult sex ratio of 1.16 males per female. Times of residence in the area ranged between a minimum of 121 and a maximum of 1015 days (mean 331.1 days). At Paracas the population was composed by (72%) of juveniles and (28%) sub-adults, no adults were recorded, thus supporting the development habitat hypothesis stating that throughout the neritic distribution there are sites exclusively occupied by juveniles. Residence time ranged between a minimum of 65 days and a maximum of 680 days (mean 236.1). High growth rates and body condition index values were estimated suggesting healthy individuals at both study sites. The population traits recorded at both sites suggested that conditions found in Peruvian neritic waters may contribute to the recovery of South Pacific green turtles. However, both aggregations are still at jeopardy due to pollution, bycatch and illegal catch and thus require immediate enforcing of conservation measurements.

Patterns of spatial and temporal distribution of humpback whales at the southern limit of the Southeast Pacific breeding area.

Understanding the patterns of spatial and temporal distribution in threshold habitats of highly migratory and endangered species is important for understanding their habitat requirements and recovery trends. Herein, we present new data about the distribution of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in neritic waters off the northern coast of Peru: an area that constitutes a transitional path from cold, upwelling waters to warm equatorial waters where the breeding habitat is located. Data was collected during four consecutive austral winter/spring seasons from 2010 to 2013, using whale-watching boats as platforms for research. A total of 1048 whales distributed between 487 groups were sighted. The spatial distribution of humpbacks resembled the characteristic segregation of whale groups according to their size/age class and social context in breeding habitats; mother and calf pairs were present in very shallow waters close to the coast, while dyads, trios or more whales were widely distributed from shallow to moderate depths over the continental shelf break. Sea surface temperatures (range: 18.2–25.9°C) in coastal waters were slightly colder than those closer to the oceanic realm, likely due to the influence of cold upwelled waters from the Humboldt Current system. Our results provide new evidence of the southward extension of the breeding region of humpback whales in the Southeast Pacific. Integrating this information with the knowledge from the rest of the breeding region and foraging grounds would enhance our current understanding of population dynamics and recovery trends of this species.

Treponemal infection in Peru's Early Colonial period: A case of complex lesion patterning and unusual funerary treatment

This study describes a series of skeletal lesions observed in a mid 16th century individual of an old adult female from the Early Colonial Period of northern coastal Peru. This fragmented skeleton revealed evidence of complex, active, and systemic chronic infection that included multiple pathological foci on the cranial vault, extensive pathological new bone formation in both arms, the sternum, ribs, left scapula, clavicles, femora, and fibulae, which was paralleled by extensive endosteal obliteration of affected long bone medullary cavities. Differential diagnosis included hematogenous osteomyelitis, Paget's disease, fluorosis, melorheostosis, endosteal hyperostosis, and hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. Simultaneous periosteal and endosteal bone deposition of the clavicles, in addition to patterns of florid bone deposition on long bones and superficial cavitation, point most directly to treponemal disease. Co-morbidity with a non-specified respiratory disease and well-healed fractures of the tibiae are also considered. We also relate this person's illness to the highly informal disposal of their body to underscore how social perceptions of disease may have shaped this unusual and informal funerary ritual. Ultimately, this research cautions against overly “tibia-centric” thinking regarding treponemal syndromes, raises questions regarding the history and nature of treponemal disease in Peru, and highlights cross-disciplinary connections between paleopathology and mortuary archaeology.

Aerial behavior of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae at the southern limit of the southeast Pacific breeding area

We evaluated the set of aerial displays shown by humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae in the northern coast of Peru, a region that is considered the southern limit of the breeding area of the stock G in the Southeast Pacific. From August to October 2010, aerial displays were quantified from a whale-watching boat together with shore sightings. Our results indicated that the most frequent aerial display was breaching, followed by tail and flipper splashing. The maximum number of displays occurred in September. Groups made of pairs of whales performed the most frequent aerial behavior during the study period. Our results contrast with previous information off Ecuador suggesting that most intense aerial displays are performed when humpbacks are gathered in larger groups (more than 3 whales). These results add new information about humpback whales aerial behavior in the northern coast of Peru.

Bound lives: Africans, Indians, and the making of race in colonial Peru

Bound Lives chronicles the lived experience of race relations in northern coastal Peru during the colonial era. Rachel Sarah O Toole examines the construction of a casta (caste) system under the Spanish government, and how this system was negotiated and employed by Andeans and Africans. Royal and viceregal authorities defined legal identities of Indian and Black to separate the two groups and commit each to specific trades and labor. Although they were legally divided, Andeans and Africans freely interacted and depended on each other in their daily lives. Thus, the caste system was defined at both the top and bottom of society. Within each caste, there were myriad subcategories that also determined one s standing. The imperial legal system also strictly delineated civil rights. Andeans were afforded greater protections as a threatened native population. Despite this, with the crown s approval during the rise of the sugar trade, Andeans were driven from their communal property and conscripted into a forced labor program. They soon rebelled, migrating away from the plantations to the highlands. Andeans worked as artisans, muleteers, and laborers for hire, and used their legal status as Indians to gain political representation. As slaves, Africans were subject to the judgments of local authorities, which nearly always sided with the slaveholder. Africans soon articulated a rhetoric of valuation, to protect themselves in disputes with their captors and in slave trading negotiations. To combat the ongoing diaspora from Africa, slaves developed strong kinship ties and offered communal support to the newly arrived. Bound Lives offers an entirely new perspective on racial identities in colonial Peru. It highlights the tenuous interactions of an imperial power, indigenous group, and enslaved population, and shows how each moved to establish its own power base and modify the existing system to its advantage, while also shaping the nature of colonialism itself.

Seeds of Ampelocissus, Cissus, and Leea (Vitales) from the Paleogene of Western Peru and Their Biogeographic Significance

Seeds of Vitaceae and Leeaceae are recognized from the late Early Oligocene of Belen, near Talara, northern coastal Peru. Reexamination of fossils described by Berry in the 1920s, supplemented by newly collected specimens, leads us to accept his identifications of Ampelocissus and Cissus. In addition to the two species previously recognized (Ampelocissus bravoi [Berry] Berry and Cissus willardii Berry), the new material allows recognition of another species of Cissus—that is, Cissus lombardii sp. n.—and confirms the presence of Leea, represented by Leea olssonii (Berry) comb. n. These well-preserved fossils show seed characters unequivocally diagnostic for these three extant genera and include two distinct morphotypes of Cissus, indicating that this genus was already diversified in South America by ∼28.5 million years ago. The fossils are biogeographically informative because Ampelocissus and Leea are absent from South America today, and the latter is now native only to the Old World tropics. Confirmation...

Achondroplasia among ancient populations of mesoamerica and South America: Iconographic and Archaeological Evidence

Achondroplasia is the most frequent form of short-limb dwarfism. Affected individuals exhibit short stature caused by rhizomelic shortening of the limbs, characteristic facies with frontal bossing and mid-face hypoplasia, genu varum, and trident hand. Although the etiology of this disease was reported in 1994, evidence of this disease in ancient populations has been found in populations of ancient Egypt (2500 BC) and it has been documented in ancient American populations. To analyze the presence of individuals with achondroplasia in the Mayan state society of Mexico and Guatemala, during the Classical (100- 950 AC ) and Post-Classical (950 - 1519 AC ) periods; likewise, in the hierarchical-chieftain society of Tumaco-la Tolita (300 BC - 600 AC ) from the Colombia-Ecuador Pacific coast, and the Moche state society (100 - 600 AC ) from the northern coast of Peru. Iconographic and clinical-morphological studies of some of the most important artistic representations of individuals of short stature in these three cultures. We present the hypothesis that the individuals with short stature were somehow associated with the political and religious power elite.

EVIDENCIA SEROLÓGICA DE ANTICUERPOS CONTRA EL VIRUS DE LA LARINGOTRAQUEITIS INFECCIOSA AVIAR EN GALLINAS REPRODUCTORAS DE CARNE Y POSTURA.

A total of 360 serum samples from eighteen flocks of broiler and layer breeders in phase of production were used in order to detect the presence of Laryngotracheitis virus (VLT) antibodies using a commercial ELISA test. The poultry farms were located in the region of Lima and in the northern coast of Peru. Samples were collected from July 2004 till September 2005 and were processed as a group. Eight samples out of 360 in 6 flocks were positive to antibodies against VLT. Due to the small number of positives and the low level of antibodies was concluded than the 18 breeder flocks did not show serological evidence of exposition to VLT.

Differential diagnosis of an unusual tibial pathology from Peru

AbstractDuring an osteological analysis of human skeletal remains from the site of Punta Lobos (Huarmey Valley, northern coastal Peru), an unusual erosive lesion of the cortex with periosteal reaction was observed on a right tibia. The authors undertook a review of paleopathological and medical literature to arrive at a differential diagnosis. The lesion is determined to be a non‐malignant growth, possibly a large periosteal ganglion, though a diagnosis of periosteal chondroma (a benign neoplasm) or other uncommon neoplasm could not be definitively ruled out. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.