Interespecific Differentiation of South American Camelids on Archaeofaunal Assemblages from Calchaquies Valleys (Argentina).

IZETA, ANDRES DARIO

Taphonomy and Zooarchaeology in Argentina

Archaeopress

Lugar: Oxford, UK; Año: 2007; p. 47 - 57

In South America, the distinction between the two wild species (Lama guanicoe and Vicugna vicugna) and the two domestic species (Lama glama and Lama pacos) in the family Camelidae is a crucial methodological question, because the occurrence of different taxa could represent different modalities in the procurement and utilization of animal resources for northwestern Argentina Formative populations (first millennium AD). Until today, the most accepted form of interspecific differentiation between camelid species was based on qualitative analysis of dental morphology, and hair studies. However, other techniques exist that permit us to approach species identification. One such technique, the application of multivariate statistical analysis on the results of quantitative osteometrics, was first applied to camelids from archaeological contexts by Jonathan Kent (1982). Other authors have applied this and similar techniques to Andean camelids (i.e. Elkin 1996; Madero 1992; Yacobaccio et al.1997-1998). The study of osteometric variability in camelid species becomes necessary because the differentiation of wild from domestic is an important aspect of Andean archaeological research and species-level identifications are more appropriate using this technique than those based on morphological criteria alone. This paper provides new data from the application of this methodology to several Formative sites in the furthest south of Calchaquíes Valleys (Provinces of Catamarca and Tucumán, Argentina).