Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope compositions of South American camelids in the South-Central Andes: Towards a frame of reference at the supra-regional scale.

MARIANA MONDINI; GRANT, JENNIFER; SAMEC, C.; PANARELLO, H.O.

Congreso; 13th ICAZ International Conference; 2018

With the aim of contributing to the development of an isotopic ecology in the South-Central Andes which could be applied to different archaeological contexts, we present a large-scale comparison of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope compositions measured on bone collagen from modern South American camelids. Samples come from the Dry and the Salt Puna of Northwestern Argentina along the Atlantic side of the Andes, totalling 181 cases. Half of these belong to wild camelids ?that is Vicugna vicugna? and half to domestic camelids ?that is Lama glama. They come from diverse settings at altitudes ranging from 3300 to 4700 m a.s.l. Camelid samples display δ 13C values averaging ‒18.8 ?, ranging from ‒23.5 ? to ‒13.8 ?, while δ 15N values present a median of +5.9 ?, ranging from +1.5 ? to +11.3 ?. We discuss the distribution of these stable isotope compositions as regards animal variables such as taxon and age, environmental and geographic variables relative to altitude and latitude, and the productive system in the case of domestic camelids. We also compare these patterns to those known for the Central Andes and adjacent areas. The results presented here will allow us to discuss the Puna ecosystem in terms of its isotopic ecology and hopefully in future outcomes will prove useful for the study of herding and hunting strategies employed by the human groups that occupied this area in the past.