BIOARCHAEOLOGY OF THE EARLY HUNTER-GATHERERS OF THE PAMPEAN REGION. NEW DATA FROM THE ARROYO SECO 2 SITE (BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA)

BIOARQUEOLOGÍA DE LOS CAZADORES-RECOLECTORES TEMPRANOS DE LA REGIÓN PAMPEANA. NUEVOS DATOS DEL SITIO ARROYO SECO 2 (BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA)

Clara Scabuzzo y Gustavo G. Politis

In the last 40 years, archaeological research at Arroyo Seco 2 (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina) has led to the recovery of the human remains of at least 50 individuals assigned to the Early and Middle Holocene. This constitutes one of the most important bioarchaeological records of the Southern Cone for early moments. Starting in 2009, new excavations were carried out, additional individuals were recorded, the previously published skeletons were re-analyzed, and 36 radiocarbon datings were performed on human bones. The integration of new data with the previous information led to a revision of some interpretations of the site. Currently, the evidence indicates that the earliest occupations are contemporaneous with changes in Early-Middle Holocene population dynamics. At that time, Arroyo Seco 2 functioned as a residential camp, and burial activities at the site date to ~8550 cal. BP. Later, funerary activities continued with mostly primary interments and the occasional secondary burial, with some graves marked by stones. Throughout the 3600 years of burial activity, the place acquired ancestral significance as part of a growing ritualization of death. This is reflected in elaborate funerary accompaniments, some of which suggest a degree of socio-political or ideational differentiation within the group. Key words: Bioarchaeology, Hunter-g

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SURVEYING SOCIAL ORGANIZATION THROUGTH THE DISPLACEMENT THROUGH THE CIRCULATION PATHS OF LAS PAILAS (NORTH CALCHAQUÍ VALLEY, SALTA)

EXPLORANDO LA ORGANIZACIÓN SOCIAL A PARTIR DEL MOVIMIENTO POR LAS VÍAS DE CIRCULACIÓN DE LAS PAILAS (VALLE CALCHAQUÍ NORTE, SALTA)

Joaquín Ignacio Izaguirre, Félix A. Acuto, Alejandro Andrés Ferrari e Ivan Leibowicz

In this paper, we explore the spatial organization and symbolic-structural elements that could have permeated the social life during the Late Intermediate Period (1000 AD - 1400 AD). The archaeological settlement of Las Pailas in the Northern Calchaquí Valley (Salta, Argentina) have 559 agglomerated structures, with access to more than 500 ha of crop fields. We conducted formal analyses on the archaeological compounds of the site and its circulation paths, as well as visibility analysis through Geographic Information Systems software to assess what you see as you walk the paths. The results suggest that the spatial organization of the site reflects some Andean organizational features, such as the possible organization in ayllus, as well as an emphasis on duality and encounter.

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ISOTOPIC ECOLOGY OF WATER IN WESTERN TINOGASTA (CATAMARCA, ARGENTINA): FIRST RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD

ECOLOGÍA ISOTÓPICA DEL AGUA EN EL OESTE DE TINOGASTA (CATAMARCA, ARGENTINA): PRIMERAS RELACIONES CON EL REGISTRO BIOARQUEOLÓGICO

Norma Ratto, Claudia Aranda, Luis Coll y Leandro Luna

We present the isotopic ecology of δ18O from 60 water samples collected from diverse environments in the Chaschuil and Fiambalá regions, west of the Department of Tinogasta, Catamarca (valley floor, upper valley, transitional Puna, San Buenaventura Mountain range, and Andean Mountain range). We compare the water samples with other extra-regional samples from the Southern Puna and the eastern valleys of Belén and Andalgalá. The isotopic baseline was further compared with data obtained from the teeth and bone samples of 39 individuals, both regional and extra-regional, encompassing both sexes, different ages, and varied chronologies. We then created an isotopic map to contrast the isotopic profiles of both the waters sources and those of the buried individuals. This is an essential step for evaluating the scope and limitations of models delineating past population mobility. The results highlight differences and similarities in δ18O values across water samples taken from different environments in western Tinogasta, as well as their comparison with similar extra-regional environments and altitudinal levels. These findings underscore the need to integrate multiple indicators to address issues of voluntary or forced population mobility.

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DIETS OF INFANTS AND MOTHERS FROM CONCHOPATA: A STUDY OF STABLE CARBON AND OXYGEN ISOTOPES

DIETAS DE LOS LACTANTES Y LAS MADRES EN CONCHOPATA: UN ESTUDIO DE ISÓTOPOS ESTABLES DE CARBONO Y OXÍGENO

Tiffiny A. Tung, Anna Fancher Whittemore y Thomas J. Snyder

The study of diet in infants and young children is important for our understanding of political economy, food production practices, and cultural ideas regarding what is acceptable to eat. In this study, we present an analysis of dental carbon and oxygen stable isotope values from the archaeological site of Conchopata. Conchopata, located in the present-day city of Ayacucho, Peru, was inhabited in the Early Intermediate Period (1 - 600 AD) and the Middle Horizon (600 - 1000 AD), and was the secondary city in the heartland of the Wari Empire, just 10 km south of the capital city of Huari. Using carbon and oxygen isotopes, we are able to estimate the dietary composition and water source of the individuals from Conchopata as children. Ultimately, we find that children were likely eating a large volume of maize and shared similar water sources. The exception is the woman who breastfed the infant from Space 205; the carbon isotope data suggests that this individual had less maize in their diet and may have consumed water from a different source. This suggests that this individual may have been a migrant or embodied a social identity distinct from the other individuals sampled in this study.

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