Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope studies in the Delta of Paraná river (argentina): an approach to pre-hispanic diets

BONOMO, M.; SCABUZZO, C.; POLITIS, G.; ZUCOL, A.

Latina American Antiquity

Society for American Archaeology

Año: 2017

1045-6635

This paper focuses on pre-Hispanic paleodiets among the indigenous populations who inhabited the Delta of the Paraná River during the Late Holocene. Stable isotope analyses of δ13C -from collagen and apatite fractions- and δ15N were performed on human bones from sites assigned to different archaeological entities (mainly Goya-Malabrigo and Guarani). The isotopic data are contextualized with results from the study of zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical materials from these sites. The Guarani case shows a greater reliance on C4 plants (maize or wild C4 plants). In contrast, in most Goya-Malabrigo individuals, δ13C values indicate a predominant consumption of C3 plants that could comprise of both domesticated and wild plants. Through the integration of archaeofaunistic, archaeobotanical and isotopic information, we conclude that the Goya-Malabrigo case shows a mixed economy. Furthermore, small-scale horticulture of the maize-squash-bean triad supplemented a diet of wild resources procured through hunting, fishing and gathering.