Tiwanaku ‘colonization’: Bioarchaeological implications for migration in the Moquegua Valley, Peru

Nothing is more central to theories of prehispanic Andean state formation than the relationship between highland core areas and ecologically‐distinct peripheral regions. Various models, ranging from direct colonization to trade relations have been proposed and are usually grounded in architectural and material cultural patterning. We examine the human biological implications of colonization from the perspective of Tiwanaku, primarily during the expansive Tiwanaku IV and V periods (c. AD 500–1000). Using inherited skeletal features and artificial cranial deformation, we explore community patterning within the Titicaca Basin in comparison to that for the Moquegua (Middle Osmore) Valley, a region known to have strong cultural ties with the highland altiplano. Based in a sample of over 500 individuals, we test archaeologically‐derived models that posit mass migration into the Moquegua region. Our results are not inconsistent with a migration model.