Stable Carbon and Nitrogen isotope studies in the Delta of Paraná River (Argentina): An approach to Pre-hispanic diets

POLITIS, GUSTAVO G.; SCABUZZO, CLARA; BONOMO, MARIANO; ZUCOL, ALEJANDRO F.

Latin American Antiquity

Cambridge University Press

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2017 vol. 28 p. 105 - 126

1045-6635

We focus on prehispanic paleodiets among the indigenous populations who inhabited the delta of the Paraná River during theLate Holocene. Stable isotope analyses of δ13C?from collagen and apatite fractions? and δ15N were performed on humanbones from sites assigned to different archaeological entities (mainly Goya-Malabrigo and Guaraní). We contextualize theisotopic data with results from the study of zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical materials from these sites. The Guaranícase shows a greater reliance on C4 plants (maize or wild C4 plants). By contrast, for most Goya-Malabrigo individuals,δ13C values indicate a predominant consumption of C3 plants that could include both domesticated and wild species. Throughthe integration of archaeofaunal, archaeobotanical, and isotopic information, we conclude that the Goya-Malabrigo caseshows a mixed economy. Furthermore, small-scale horticulture of the maize-squash-bean triad supplemented a diet of wildresources procured through hunting, fishing, and gathering.