We analyze injuries in the cranial sample from the Pucará de Tilcara fortress, dating to the time of the Inca conquest. Analysis of violence markers, carried out by visual examination and computed tomography, and the comparison of results with those relating to samples from the Regional Development Period of the Quebrada de Humahuaca valley, suggest that although the violence level remained high, its nature could have changed after the arrival of the Inca. The female sample reveals just two perimortal injuries, no trophy skulls were found, and the frequency of nasal bone fractures is higher than in earlier samples. This may indicate lower level of between-group fighting for control over resources, and higher risk of interpersonal violence. The observed pattern suggests that having arrived in the Quebrada de Humahuaca region, the Inca eased political tension by establishing control over trade routes and the distribution of arable land areas, which had previously been the main cause of local armed clashes. The influence of artificial cranial modifications on the pathological and traumatic status of individuals was also analyzed. Two types of modification were recorded in the sample-fronto-occipital tabular oblique and fronto-occipital tabular straight. None of them caused pathological changes or a decrease in the thickness of cranial bones.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)147-156
Number of pages10
JournalArchaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia
Volume49
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 27 Oct 2021

    Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • Archaeology

    Research areas

  • Bioarchaeology, Computed tomography, Inca period, Interpersonal violence, Pucará de Tilcara, Regional Development Period, computed tomography, Pucara de Tilcara, interpersonal violence, bioarchaeology

ID: 88775182