Unstable Frontiers: Isotopic Model of Agricultural Dispersal in the Subtropical Andes

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The south of Mendoza province, Argentina, has been characterized as the southernmost limit of pre-Hispanic agricultural dispersion in South America. This limit, originally defined by the presence of macrobotanical remains, was re-discussed in light of the stable isotope data of δ13C and δ15N obtained on collagen and apatite from human remains. These results showed a high diversity in human diets, with strong variability between the different individuals analyzed both at a spatial and temporal scales, especially for the last 2000 years BP. This paper presents the results of the spatial analysis, through the use of geographic information systems, applying interpolation methods (Inverse Distance Weighting). For this, a total of 629 human samples from the Subtropical Andes (Central West Argentina and neighboring areas) were used. We show the temporal evolution of the isotopic patterns in the region by subdividing the sample into three temporal units; pre 2000 years BP, 2000-1000 years BP and post 1000 years BP. The results shows significant differences in the consumption of C4 plants between the different analyzed periods. Besides, there is a growing dependence on the consumption of C4 resources in some sectors of the analyzed area, interrupted by temporal span of decrease in their consumption.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39428.0