* This in-person event will also be livestreamed on Zoom, register here *
Continuing with our annual Ancestors lecture, the Maxwell Museum is honored to welcome Dr. Jo Elizabeth Osborn, UNM Department of Anthropology Visiting Assistant Professor of Archaeology. Event co-sponsored by the UNM Department of Anthropology and the UNM Latin American & Iberian Institute.
Fishing Through Flux: Economic Strategies for Managing El Niño Risks in Coastal Peru
In Peru’s coastal desert, climatic variability caused by the El Niño Southern Oscillation Cycle (ENSO) disrupts both agricultural and marine-based economies. ENSO effects can range from minor to catastrophic and are often experienced unevenly across regional landscapes. How do communities confront such challenging circumstances? This talk explores the development of community economic specialization at Jahuay (200 BC–AD 150), a fishing village on the Peruvian south coast where full-time maritime specialists made a living through fishing, shellfish collection, and the hunting of marine birds and mammals. These products were consumed locally and exchanged within a regional economic system that provided access to agricultural and craft products. I propose complementarity between independent specialized communities exploiting distinct resources was a regional strategy that buffered against periodic scarcity and made communities more resilient to El Niño cycles.
Meet our Presenter
Dr. Jo Elizabeth Osborn received her BA in Anthropology from Harvard College (2012) and MA (2015) and PhD (2022) from the University of Michigan. She was also a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Zooarchaeology at the University of Exeter. Currently, she is Visiting Assistant Professor at UNM.
As an anthropological archaeologist of coastal South America, Dr. Osborn's research centers human adaptations to life at the intersection of two challenging environments: the Pacific Ocean and the deserts of the Peruvian coast. This work examines the intersection between subsistence strategies, economic systems, and environmental variability.
The aridity of the Peruvian coast allows for outstanding preservation of materials which are normally not observed in archaeological contexts, such as plant remains and basketry. To address these rich datasets, Dr. Osborn draws on a diverse set of interdisciplinary approaches, especially ethnohistory, zooarchaeology, and spatial approaches (GIS, drone mapping). She is also interested in Bayesian approaches to archaeological problems.
Read more about Dr. Osborn's fascinating work by visiting her website.
Image: Site overview of a fishing village on the Peruvian south coast. Courtesy of Dr. Osborn.
