Isotopic evidence for divergent diets and mobility patterns in the A tacama D esert, northern C hile, during the L ate I ntermediate P eriod ( AD 900–1450)

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8315876
AutoresFrancisca Santana-Sagredo (0000-0003-2593-5737, University of Oxford, autor de correspondencia), Francisca Santana‐Sagredo (Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art University of Oxford Oxford OX1 3QY UK), J A Lee‐thorp (0000-0002-3291-0258, University of Oxford), R J Schulting (0000-0002-4444-766X, University of Oxford), Rick Schulting (Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art University of Oxford Oxford OX1 3QY UK), Mauricio Uribe (0000-0002-6158-2433, Departamento de Antropología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales Universidad de Chile Santiago 7800284 Chile)
Año2015
Volumen156
Número3
Páginas374-387
Fecha de publicación2015-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.22663
PMID25385676
OpenAlexW1902215511
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas43
Referencias citadas64

The decline of the Tiwanaku state saw the emergence of two new cultures—Pica‐Tarapacá and Atacama—during the Late Intermediate Period in northern Chile. Archeological evidence suggests that both groups practised maize agriculture and pastoralism, but that their interaction zones differed significantly. Marine resources are common at Pica‐Tarapacá sites, even those far from coast, while Atacama sites in the desert oases and precordilleran area seem to have directed their networks towards the highlands. Here we apply stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope analysis on human bone and enamel to test dietary patterns and residential mobility at two sites, Pica 8 and Quitor 6, representing the Pica‐Tarapacá and Atacama cultures, respectively. Our results show that diet at the two sites indeed differed: significant but variable consumption of marine resources and maize is indicated at Pica 8, despite being an inland site, while diet at Quitor 6 was based mainly on terrestrial resources. The use of seabird guano and llama dung as fertilizers and extreme aridity may have contributed to the high nitrogen isotope values observed in Pica 8 humans. The δ 18 O values in Pica 8 individuals are generally lower than for Quitor in spite of its greater distance from the Andes. All three isotopes suggest the presence of at least five nonlocals in the 30 measured at Pica 8. This evidence for human mobility is consistent with the high levels of trade and interaction observed in the archeological record, and begins to quantify the degree of movement of specific individuals. Am J Phys Anthropol 156:374–387, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Arid · Biology · Geography · Guano · Isotope analysis · Pastoralism · Period (music) · Physical geography · Pica (typography) · Seabird · Stable isotope ratio · δ13C · δ15N · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Ecology · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies