Zooarqueología e isótopos estables en el valle de Ongamira (Depto. Ischilín, Córdoba, Argentina)

WEIHMULLER MARIA PAULA; CATTANEO ROXANA; SHARPE, ASHLEY; TAKIGAMI, MAI; IZETA , ANDRES

Ushuaia

Taller; IV Taller de Arqueología e Isótopos Estables en el Sur de Sudamérica.; 2023

CADIC CONCIET

Archaeological and historical records from Córdoba province (Central Argentina) evidence the major role that guanacos have played for different societies from the initial peopling of the territory to contemporary times. However, the increasing anthropic pressures initiated with the Spanish conquest and exacerbated during the last two centuries led to their virtual extinction in the area. Currently, the last existing population comprises less than 100 individuals that live isolated in a perisaline shrubland in north-western Córdoba. In this work, we present novel data on the carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of this endangered population. The dentine collagen δ13C and δ15N values of 18 individuals of different age (subadults=5, adults=13) and sex (males=6, females=6, indeterminate=6) was measured with the aim to account for the variation in the isotopic compositions of guanacos from the arid Chaco and to evaluate the variables that could better explain it. In addition, the δ13C and δ15N values of nine archaeological guanaco specimens from late Holocene archaeological sites in the Ongamira valley are presented for comparative purposes. As for the results of the modern samples, the mean value obtained for δ13C was -17.2 with a SD of 1.05 while δ15N mean value was 11.4 with a SD of 0.81. Neither statistically significant differences were found between subadults and adults, nor between males and females, although slightly higher δ13C values were found in males as opposed to females, possibly related to the social organisation of this species. When compared with published data on the carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of guanacos from other regions of Argentina, the population of Córdoba is clearly differentiated. Our results constitute the first contribution to the development of a frame of reference to address paleoenvironmental and paleodietary questions in a region with hitherto no baseline information for isotopic studies. Additionally, it provides valuable information for the characterization of a regionally endangered species. In future research, we will compare the results obtained from dentine with the bone collagen isotopic composition from the same individuals to assess potential differences between both tissues.