Revelations of ancient head shape: Cranial modification in the Cuzco region of Peru, Early Horizon to Inca Imperial Period

Analysis of cranial vault modification (CVM) in the Cuzco region of Peru reveals distinct temporal patterns that illuminate sociopolitical transformations from the Early Horizon to the Inca Imperial Period. The study found that tabular CVM dominated early samples (900 BC–AD 600), while an influx of unmodified crania during the Middle Horizon (AD 600–1000) correlated with Wari occupation. Annular CVM emerged later (AD 1000–1438), suggesting migration, possibly from Lake Titicaca. During Inca rule, modification rates were higher in rural sites than urban ones, indicating state-coerced resettlement of ethnic groups while Inca elites in Cuzco city avoided modification as a marker of identity. The research combines morphological analysis of 419 individuals from 10 sites with archaeological and ethnohistoric data to trace migration, settlement, and the impact of imperial expansion on Andean ethnic landscapes.

Andrushko, V. A. (2020). Revelations of ancient head shape: Cranial modification in the Cuzco region of Peru, Early Horizon to Inca Imperial Period. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 175(1), 95–105. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24201