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Following the capture of Inka Atawallpa in Cajamarca, Spanish conquistadors took control of several Inka provincial centers that subsequently became the sites of colonial towns. This was the case at Tambo Viejo, the Inka provincial center in the Acarí Valley of the Peruvian south coast. Recent archaeological excavation at that site revealed that the Spanish modified existing buildings and added new constructions to suit their needs. The excavation also uncovered multiple interments that had been closely stacked next to each other and buried with a small wooden cross, the most salient symbol of the Christian faith. The new findings highlight the outcome of the Spanish presence in the former Inka territory which manifested in substantial modification of a provincial Inka center, the likely conversion to Christianity of the local population, and what appears to be the devastation caused by the diseases introduced by the conquistadors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The cemetery of Puruchuco-Huaquerones in Lima, Peru, has yielded human remains dating from the Late Horizon until after Spanish conquest (circa AD 1470–1540). The analysis of 242 non-adult skeletons has documented trauma, including both common childhood injuries and injuries suggestive of the violent consequences of Spanish conquest. Additionally, an increase in perimortem trauma in the Early Post-Contact Period has been documented (Gaither and Murphy, 2012). Previous research, however, does not adequately address the question of physical child abuse, and whether or not that played a role in the changes seen after the arrival of the Spanish. This paper will address the controversial question of physical child abuse and propose new categories of violence for use in analyzing non-adults in the archeological record; categories that will hopefully give researchers more flexibility in analyzing non-adults remains. It will then test the hypothesis of what role, if any, what is referred to in this paper as ‘Likely Caregiver-Induced Violence’ played in the Late Horizon and Early Post-Contact Period populations at Puruchcuo-Huaqerones. Finally, this paper discusses the theoretical models that address cultural changes seen in populations under stress that result in an increase and change in the nature of the violence perpetrated against non-adults. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper examines bioarchaeological evidence of violence and traumatic injury on subadult skeletal remains from two Late Horizon (A.D. 1470–1540) cemeteries within the archaeological zone of Puruchuco-Huaquerones, Peru. Here we present the frequency and types of traumatic lesions on the 242 subadults analyzed. We observed significant increases in the frequency of subadult trauma, particularly among the burials associated with Spanish Conquest. Specifically, we noted a statistically significant increase in the frequency of cranial trauma in a subsample of individuals from one of two cemeteries at the site, 57AS03. These perimortem cranial injuries suggest an intensification of violence and lethality that may have affected the children from this community. We then discuss the biocultural implications of this analysis within the context of Spanish invasion and conquest. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Conquest of indigenous peoples in North America is understood primarily through ethnohistorical documents, archaeological evidence, and osteological analyses. However, in the Central Andes, the colonial enterprise and its effects are understood only from post-contact historical and ethnohistorical sources. Few archaeological and bioarchaeological studies have investigated Spanish Conquest and colonialism in the Andean region [for exceptions see Klaus and Tam: Am J Phys Anthropol 138 (2009) 356-368; Wernke, in press; and Quilter, in press]. Here we describe bioarchaeological evidence of violence from the cemeteries of Huaquerones and 57AS03 within the archaeological zone of Puruchuco-Huaquerones, Peru (circa A.D. 1470-1540). A total of 258 individuals greater than 15 years of age were analyzed for evidence of traumatic injuries. Individuals were examined macroscopically and evidence of traumatic injuries was analyzed according to the skeletal element involved, the location of the injury on the skeletal element, and any additional complications of the injury. This study examines and compares the evidence of perimortem injuries on skeletenized individuals from the two cemeteries and focuses specifically on the interpretation of weapon-related perimortem injuries. Evidence of perimortem trauma is present in both cemeteries (18.6%, 48/258); however, the frequency of injuries in 57AS03 is greater than that in Huaquerones (25.0% vs. 13.0%). Several injuries from 57AS03 are consistent with documented cases of injuries from firearms and 16th Century European weapons. We believe that the nature and high frequency of perimortem trauma at 57AS03 provide evidence of the violence that occurred with Spanish Conquest of the Inca Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]