Rafael Vega Centeno and Carol Lang

We present the first results of micromorphological analyses conducted on four samples extracted from occupational floors of the Maranga-Lima urban complex (AD 350-780). Results reveal evidence of activity areas that involved firing events, with the presence of carbonized material and organic elements (particularly bone and shell). In addition, we recovered evidence of possible floor matting due to the concentration of non-carbonized grass phytoliths. Thus, this study notes the potential of micromorphological analyses for the reconstruction of activity areas in urban spaces that are usually found to be “clean” from a macroscopic perspective.

The aim of this paper is to present the carbon (δ13C and δ13C ) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic compositions of the collagen apatite human bone record of 19 individuals found in archaeological sites of Quebrada de Humahuaca (Jujuy, Argentina), associated with occupations between the Late Formative (ca. 500-900 AD), the Regional Development Period (900 - 1430 AD) and the Inca Period (ca. 1430 AD - 1536 AD). Previously published, results were also considered, allowing for a total of 41 individuals analyzed for the study area. The characterization of these societies by paleodietary reconstruction is discussed considering models of social and productive organization proposed for the region. A Bayesian mixing model was used for data analysis, integrating isotopic values of modern plants from Quebrada de Humahuaca and camelidae fauna specimens from the phytogeographic provinces of Puna and Prepuna of Jujuy. Our results indicate that diet composition did not vary considerably over time, with maize (and/or amaranth) being the predominant resource since the time of consolidation of the agro-pastoral economies.

Catalina Valiza Davis, Diego Damián Rindel and Rafael Sebastián Paunero

This paper aims to study a bone assemblage deposited in the Cueva Túnel site, located in the Central Plateau of Santa Cruz, Argentina. The site covers a temporal range that dates from late Pleistocene to Late Holocene. We focus on its lower component, dating back to ca. 10500 years BP, which presents a wide diversity of fauna, including several extinct species. Faunal remains have been found that correspond to three camelids species: Lama guanicoe, Hemiauchenia paradoxa and Lama gracilis. The objective of this paper, then, is to analyze the consumption patterns of camelids, as they are the most represented taxa in the analyzed assemblage. This situation is repeated in other sites corresponding to the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in southern Patagonia, indicating the economic importance that camelids have had throughout the initial Patagonia colonization process. However, the strategies employed in the processing and consumption of these taxa, and the inter-taxonomic differences in the exploitation of these resources have not been investigated in detail. To achieve this, we consider the following variables: taxonomic assignment, frequency of skeletal parts, evidence of taphonomic agents and the study of human processing and consumption marks. These data are contextualized with information about the ecological environment, in order to present a characterization of the subsistence and mobility patterns of the first human groups that populated the interior sectors of southern Patagonia.

Clara Scabuzzo and María Agustina Ramos van Raap

In bioarchaeological and palaeopathological research, intentional modifications to the skull are of great value as they allow different aspects of past individuals and populations to be addressed. An example of cranial modifications widely reported in different parts of the world is trepanation. In Argentina, bioarchaeological studies have so far reported few examples of these interventions. The aim of this work is to present, analyze, and discuss the findings on intentional perforations in the skull of a child buried at the late Holocene archaeological site of Cerro Lorenzo 2 (Entre Ríos, Argentina). The analyzes included X-rays and a macroscopic differential diagnosis to evaluate possible etiologies. The results indicate that the cavities were made perimortem and using the drilling technique. Finally, we discuss the range of possible ritual and therapeutic reasons for this intervention and the regional implications of this unprecedented practice in Northeast Argentina.