High-altitude Archeology,High-altitude Archeology,Peruvian Andes:Peruvian Andes:

Climate, glaciers, mummies and GISClimate, glaciers, mummies and GIS

Adina RacoviteanuDept. of Geography and INSTAAR,

University of Colorado

Inca Empire

• cca 1475 - 1532

• extended from present Columbia to N Chile

• Cuzco organizational and spiritual center

Environmental conditions

Altitude: mean- 5,200mTemperatures: -25CWinds: > 100km/hDry conditions

Glacier mummies: climate records?

500-year old mummy found in Peruvian Andes

Otzi- 5,000 year old mummy found in Tyrolean Alps, ItalyGlacier retreat revealed mummy

Ice core climate evidence

Source:Thompson 1994

INCA

Quelcaya Ice Cap, Peru

Study Area:

Cordillera Ampato, southern Peru.

Nevado Coropuna (stratovolcano complex covered by an ice cap and consisting of three peaks, with the highest one at 6,426m).

Why Coropuna? Archeological evidence from Spanish

chronicles•Highly worshipped mountain;

•Water source for nearby villages;

•Coropuna is believed to contain Inca ruins and human sacrifices offered to the mountain deity.

Source: Guaman Poma de Aylla [1613]

Criteria for archeological site prediction

• Slope: 0-5 deg (flat surfaces)

• Elevation: between 5000-6000m

• Accessibility: Inca roads/routes

proximity to least-

cost pathways

• Aspect (Orientation): East (NE or SE) direction

• Visibility: Pacific Ocean/other peaks visible

The effect of topography (slope) on movement across mountain

terrain

• Cost (Energy or Time) increases as terrain gets steeper

• Actual energy can be calculated by including physiological measurements, weight of individual and load carried.

Topographic cost

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Slope (degrees)

Ener

gy (no

units)

Site location potential: probability of site location as a function of

distance to least-cost pathways

The fun part: Adventures from fieldwork 2003

• French Ice-core expedition: June 2003

• archeological expeditions : August 2003