STABLE CARBON AND NITROGEN ISOTOPE STUDIES IN THE PARANÁ RIVER DELTA (ARGENTINA): AN APPROACH TO PREHISPANIC DIETS

We focus on prehispanic 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 Guaraní). We contextualize the isotopic data with results from the study of zooarchaeological and archaeobotanical materials from these sites. The Guaraní case shows a greater reliance on C4plants (maize or wild C4plants). By contrast, for most Goya-Malabrigo individuals, δ13C values indicate a predominant consumption of C3plants that could include both domesticated and wild species. Through the integration of archaeofaunal, 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.