Preliminary Study of Stable Carbon Isotopes of Bulk Lipid Residues in Archaeological Ceramics from West Tinogasta, Argentina

PANARELLO, H.O.; LANTOS, I.; MAIER, M. ; RATTO, N0

Vessels Explored: Applying Archaeometry to South American Ceramics and their Production.

Archaeopress

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2016; p. 15 - 21

Foodways of the pre-Hispanic societies in the West Tinogasta region (Catamarca province, Argentina) were inferred from stable carbon isotope analysis on bulk lipid residues in eleven archaeological ceramics recovered from sites with occupations ranging from 450 - 1550 AD. Nine modern samples were analyzed to obtain reference values for typical Andean ingredients. Archaeological maize use patterns that can be detected by enriched 13C values typical of C4 plant carbon compounds found in cooking residues. The preliminary results showed a great variability of maize use and consumption practices which can be explained by the multiple recipes and functions a pot had during its use life resulting in organic residue "palimpsests". No statistically significant correlation was observed between site chronology and isotopic signals, although we propose a differential access to maize resource in the Inca site of Batungasta.