Ancient Quinoa Cultivation, Harvesting and Post-harvesting in the Puna of Argentina, South-Central Andes (1600-1100 years BP)

ESTRADA SANTAMARINA, OSCAR; CATTANEO, GABRIELA ROXANA; BABOT, MARÍA DEL PILAR; HOCSMAN, SALOMÓN

Washington

Simposio; 2nd The International Quinoa Research Symposium; 2020

Washington State University (WSU) Sustainable Seed Systems Lab in collaboration with the WSU Food Systems Program

In the last two decades, several archaeological studies have documented the presence and use of Chenopodium spp. in Antofagasta de la Sierra (ANS), Southern Puna of Argentina, in the high-altitude deserts of the South-Central Andes (about 3,500 meters above sea level) since 4,700 years ago. One of the main topics of interest is to establish whether the presence of archaeological remains of quinoa in the area is the result of local cultivation or of the regional system of trade and exchange of goods. In this study, we report a techno-typological and functional (microwear and use-residue) analysis of large lithic knives (ca. 1600-1100 years BP) with traces of agricultural use, and a comparative genomic study of ancient samples of Chenopodium quinoa from Alero 1 at the Punta de la Peña 9 archaeological site (1364 ± 20 years BP). The results obtained contribute to documenting the cultivation, harvesting, and initial stages of the post-harvesting of quinoa in ANS by identifying the predominance of micro-indicators of cutting plant stems and panicles in the lithic knives, and by establishing a genomic correspondence between archaeological seeds and stems.