Prácticas de preparación y consumo de alimentos en sociedades Aguada del Valle de Ambato, Catamarca (siglos VI-XI d.C.)

In the Ambato Valley, archaeological sites record activities related to food processing and storage under conditions of social and economic inequality, with differential access to resources. Within this framework, understanding the specifics of these activities is of interest to better comprehend the role played by the resource-food in the formation of these past societies. This study focused on identifying silicophytoliths and starch grains on residues from ceramic fragments, which were classified following previous research according to their technological and morphological aspects. In this way, we sought to infer methods of food preparation and consumption at the Piedras Blancas site, establishing a correlation between the recovered plant microremains and their presence in different varieties of ceramic vessels, considering aspects such as paste composition, shapes, and functions. Findings included maize (Zea mays), carob (Neltuma sp.), potato (Solanum tuberosum), bean (Phaseolus sp.), ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus) and morphotypes related to the Cucurbitaceae and Arecaceae families. Various processing techniques were identified, such as grinding and exposure of different parts of the plant to various heat sources. These results suggest a plant consumption pattern like that of other sites in the valley, indicating that food and processing practices were widely shared across different social sectors

Archaeological and Geological Studies · Archaeological and Historical Studies

• Plantas y vasijas en “La Mar”

  Open Access•Aldana Tavarone, Micaela Spángaro et al.•Latin American Antiquity•2026

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