FIRST RESULTS ON DIET AND MOBILITY OF THE AGROPASTORAL SOCIETIES OF WESTERN CATAMARCA, ARGENTINA

In this paper, we carry out an isotopic study to learn about the diet and mobility patterns of the human groups that inhabited different areas and environments of western Catamarca, Argentina, over almost 2500 years. We present and discuss the results of the isotopic composition of 26 bioarchaeological remains (delta C-13 and delta N-15 on bone collagen, and delta C-13 and delta O-18 on bone apatite) with their respective calibrated absolute dates, from different settings and elevations of the province of Catamarca. They account for the sociocultural development of both the first agropastoral village societies and the Inca society. We also present the regional isotopic context of autochthonous animal and plant food resources. The isotopic composition (delta C-13 and delta N-15 on bone collagen) of 47 samples of pre-Hispanic camelids recovered from archaeological sites located at different altitudes of the Fiambala and Chaschuil regions are studied and discussed. In addition, the delta C-13 values of 52 native modern and archaeological plant samples are compiled, including samples from the region as well as information from the bibliography. Finally, isotopic analyses of water samples (delta O-18) recovered from different environments in the study region are also shown. The data from delta C-13 and delta N-15 on bone collagen and delta C-13 on bone apatite show a high variability of the human diet of the populations of western Catamarca, and suggest that the societies that inhabited the region during the first millennium AD had a balanced diet that combined proteins and carbohydrates, while those dated after the thirteenth century AD reduced their protein intake, which would have significantly affected their health status. The first trends in the delta O-18 values indicate that individuals had low mobility patterns during their lives, except for some unusual cases of possible non-local individuals.