20225503(en)/05 - Paleodemography on the Prehispanic Agricultural Frontier (Central Western Argentina) at the End of the Late Holocene: An Approach Based on Osteological Proxies
PALEODEMOGRAPHY ON THE PREHISPANIC AGRICULTURAL FRONTIER (CENTRAL WESTERN ARGENTINA) AT THE END OF THE LATE HOLOCENE: AN APPROACH BASED ON OSTEOLOGICAL PROXIES
PALEODEMOGRAFÍA EN LA FRONTERA AGRÍCOLA PREHISPÁNICA (CENTRO OESTE DE ARGENTINA) A FINALES DEL HOLOCENO TARDÍO: UN ENFOQUE BASADO EN INDICADORES OSTEOLÓGICOS
Eva Ailén Peralta, Claudia M. Aranda y Leandro H. Luna
This paper explores paleodemographic trends observed from an analysis of human skeletal samples from the Atuel Valley (Central West of Argentina), dating back to the last 2000 years BP. Based on data from 18 archaeological sites (NMI=213) distributed across two distinct ecological units–the Monte and Patagonia phytogeographic provinces–we compare and discuss the ages-at-death profiles and the Juvenility Indices according to the type of desert and the period under consideration. Information from other age-at-death profiles is also included for comparative purposes: one generated for agricultural groups from northern Mendoza, and another three for hunter-gatherer populations from that origin, from Western Pampas and Northwestern Patagonia. The results indicate a growth trend in contexts with a higher prevalence of maize, ca. 2000-1000 years BP, which may be attributed to the favorable cultivation conditions offered by the Monte desert compared to those in Patagonia. For the period 1000-200 years BP, the observed trend is not as expected, and the small size of the assemblages could exacerbate potential sampling bias, thus undermining interpretations. While the observed population growth does not match the intensity seen in agricultural groups, it may indicate an incipient impact of cultigens on the traditional hunter-gatherer way of life.
