Abstract

The influence of climatic oscillations on lifeways and health is a key topic for understanding the trajectory of increasing social complexity in prehistoric societies of the Central Andes. This study evaluates the health status of 59 human individuals from Vichama, a settlement with monumental architecture located in the lower Huaura Valley on the north-central coast of Peru, dating to two periods characterized by contrasting climatic conditions and sociopolitical regimes: the Early Formative 1 (EF-1, 1800–1500 BC) and the Late Intermediate Period (LIP, AD 1000–1300). Overall, indicators associated with nutrition and physical activity display relative stability between periods, whereas markers of nonspecific stress and violence exhibit some variation. Morbidity among preadults is primarily associated with anaemia and other nonspecific stressors, possibly linked to inadequate sanitation and malnutrition. Adults present recurrent morbidity indicators related to workload, dietary composition, and infectious agents—possibly treponemal diseases—which may be associated with crowding. The data suggest relatively more precarious living conditions during EF-1, consistent with greater population pressure during this early stage of social complexity, likely under a more centralized socioeconomic system with greater dependence on agriculture. In contrast, the LIP population shows physical adaptations consistent with a mixed economy with greater reliance on marine resources, in line with a period of increased marine productivity. These findings reveal a complex relationship between climatic fluctuations, dietary change, and health indicators in the prehistoric Central Andes

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