Small-scale mobility fostering the interaction networks of Patagonian (Argentina) hunter-gatherers during the Late Holocene: Perspectives from strontium isotopes and exotic items

Isotope analysis reveals the relevance of local wild plants in diet and maize as an exotic commodity in pre-Hispanic Patagonia

The acknowledgment of plants as significant components in hunter-gatherer diets has provided new insights into past interactions between these groups and their environments, as well as between groups with different economies and social structures. The Patagonia region, South American Southern Cone, has been traditionally perceived as dominated by game hunting. This perception has changed by recognizing a broader spectrum of diet, where local wild and exotic domesticated plants, would have been intertwined in these hunter-gatherer lives. However, the nature of the archaeological record preservation obscures an accurate assessment of their role. Here, we quantified the contribution of plants and other resources to hunter-gatherer paleodiets through biomolecular methods and statistical analysis (multivariate and Bayesian). We analyzed the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition (δ13Ccol, δ15N) of human remains (n = 30) and fauna/flora (n = 52) from Northern Patagonia, and radiocarbon dated specific individuals related to exotic domesticated plants (maize). Our results show that one-third of the overall intake was based on the systematic exploitation of local wild plants, while maize appears to have functioned as an imported edible commodity obtained from distant food producers.

Middle through late Holocene long-distance transport of exotic shell personal adornments in Central West Patagonia (southern South America). The archaeomalacological assemblage of Baño Nuevo 1

The exchange of information and social interactions on broad spatial scales between human groups in the past can be studied through the provenance of key indicators of distant origin recorded at archaeological sites. The remains of shells of mollusk species, especially when crafted as elements of personal ornaments, express aspects of the behaviors and valuations for the populations that selected, transformed, and exchanged such items. In the southern cone of South America, past hunter-gatherer groups traveled long distances and interacted with communities distributed throughout the territory to acquire goods for technological use, visual display or considered highly valued materials. When recorded at distant locations, these goods of extra local origin are very informative regarding the differences between commonly used home ranges and the occasional access to remote spaces. We present the results of the analysis of the archaeomalacological assemblage of the Baño Nuevo 1 site, a cave with exceptional preservation conditions in Central West Patagonia. This site has yielded a diverse group of artifacts made of shells with origins from multiple distances, as well as evidence of the use of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial species. Its deposits, which extend over the last 11,000 years, reveal an antiquity of at least the middle Holocene for the acquisition, manufacture, use and transport of goods as personal ornaments from shells in the macroregion.

South American Archaeological Isotopic Database, a regional-scale multi-isotope data compendium for research

The South American Archaeological Isotopic Database (SAAID) is a comprehensive open-access resource that aggregates all available bioarchaeological stable and radiogenic isotope measurements, encompassing data from human individuals, animals, and plants across South America. Resulting from a collaborative effort of scholars who work with stable isotopes in this region, SAAID contains 53,781 isotopic measurements across 24,507 entries from individuals/specimens spanning over 12,000 years. SAAID includes valuable contextual information on archaeological samples and respective sites, such as chronology, geographical region, biome, and spatial coordinates, biological details like estimated sex and age for human individuals, and taxonomic description for fauna and flora. SAAID is hosted at the PACHAMAMA community within the Pandora data platform and the CORA repository to facilitate easy access. Because of its rich data structure, SAAID is particularly well-suited for conducting spatiotemporal meta-analyses. It serves as a valuable tool for addressing a variety of research topics, including the spread, adoption, and consumption intensification of food items, paleo-environmental reconstruction, as well as the exploration of mobility patterns across extensive geographic regions.