Wild or Domesticated? Camelids in Early Formative Rock Art of the Atacama Desert (Northern Chile)

AbstractThe absence of suitable methodologies to distinguish between wild and domesticated camelids in rock art has limited the interpretation of visual preferences of Andean prehispanic cultures. Although rock art’s contextual information may provide some indications that help to differentiate between wild and domesticated animals, uncertainty prevails because the relation to camelid forms is indirect. Zoological and zooarchaeological knowledge of South American camelid morphology is used as a means of comparison and identification in Atacama Desert rock art attributed to the Initial Pastoral phase (1500–500 B.C., Early Formative period, northern Chile). Based on this analysis, there are strong arguments for a distinctive graphic representation of wild as opposed to domesticated camelids, as well as a correspondence of these representations to two different modes of subsistence—one of hunters and the other of husbandry-pastoralist societies—which would have coexisted during this transitional period.

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Ancient DNA reveals the lost domestication history of South American camelids in Northern Chile and across the Andes

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.63390 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Author(s):

Paloma Diaz-Maroto ◽

Alba Rey-Iglesia ◽

Isabel Cartajena ◽

Lautaro Núñez ◽

Michael V Westbury ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South America ◽

Formative Period ◽

Archaeological Sites ◽

South American ◽

Northern Chile ◽

Spanish Conquest ◽

Domestic Species ◽

South American Camelids ◽

History Of ◽

Early Formative

The study of South American camelids and their domestication is a highly debated topic in zooarchaeology. Identifying the domestic species (alpaca and llama) in archaeological sites based solely on morphological data is challenging due to their similarity with respect to their wild ancestors. Using genetic methods also presents challenges due to the hybridization history of the domestic species, which are thought to have extensively hybridized following the Spanish conquest of South America that resulted in camelids slaughtered en masse. In this study, we generated mitochondrial genomes for 61 ancient South American camelids dated between 3,500 and 2,400 years before the present (Early Formative period) from two archaeological sites in Northern Chile (Tulán-54 and Tulán-85), as well as 66 modern camelid mitogenomes and 815 modern mitochondrial control region sequences from across South America. In addition, we performed osteometric analyses to differentiate big and small body size camelids. A comparative analysis of these data suggests that a substantial proportion of the ancient vicuña genetic variation has been lost since the Early Formative period, as it is not present in modern specimens. Moreover, we propose a domestication hypothesis that includes an ancient guanaco population that no longer exists. Finally, we find evidence that interbreeding practices were widespread during the domestication process by the early camelid herders in the Atacama during the Early Formative period and predating the Spanish conquest.

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Ancient DNA Reveals the Lost Domestication History of South American Camelids in Northern Chile and Across the Andes

10.1101/2020.10.16.337428 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Paloma Díaz-Maroto ◽

Alba Rey-Iglesia ◽

Isabel Cartajena ◽

Lautaro Núñez ◽

Michael V Westbury ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South America ◽

Formative Period ◽

Archaeological Sites ◽

South American ◽

Northern Chile ◽

Spanish Conquest ◽

Domestic Species ◽

South American Camelids ◽

History Of ◽

Early Formative

AbstractThe study of South American camelids and their domestication is a highly debated topic in zooarchaeology. Identifying the domestic species (alpaca and llama) in archaeological sites based solely on morphological data is challenging due to their similarity with respect to their wild ancestors. Using genetic methods also present challenges due to the hybridization history of the domestic species, which are thought to have extensively hybridized following the Spanish conquest of South America that resulted in camelids slaughtered en-masse. In this study we generated mitochondrial genomes for 61 ancient South American camelids dated between 3,500 - 2,400 years before the present (Early Formative period) from two archaeological sites in Northern Chile (Tulán 54 and 85), as well as 66 modern camelid mitogenomes and 815 extant mitochondrial control region sequences from across South America. In addition, we performed osteometric analyses to differentiate big and small body size camelids. A comparative analysis of these data suggests that a substantial proportion of the ancient vicuña genetic variation has been lost since the Early Formative period as it is not present in modern specimens. Moreover, we propose a model of domestication that includes an ancient guanaco population that no longer exists. Finally, we find evidence that interbreeding practices were widespread during the domestication process by the early camelid herders in the Atacama during the Early Formative period and predating the Spanish conquest.

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Insights into the Earliest Formative Period of Coastal Ecuador: New Evidence and Radiocarbon Dates from the Real Alto Site

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/rdc.2015.23 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 58 (2) ◽

pp. 323-330 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Andrey V Tabarev ◽

Yoshitaka Kanomata ◽

Jorge G Marcos ◽

Alexander N Popov ◽

Boris V Lazin

Keyword(s):

Las Vegas ◽

Formative Period ◽

South American ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

American Archaeology ◽

The Real ◽

Local Origin ◽

New Evidence ◽

South American Archaeology ◽

Early Formative

AbstractOne of the most intriguing questions of South American archaeology is the time, place, and origin of the earliest pottery. Since the late 1950s, the earliest pottery has been attributed to the materials of the Early Formative Valdivia culture (5600–3500 BP), coastal Ecuador. Excavations at the Real Alto site conducted in the 1970s and 1980s allowed the rejection of the spectacular “Jomon–Valdivia” hypothesis and established a local origin of the phenomenon. Recent radiocarbon dates from a joint Russian–Japanese–Ecuadorian project at Real Alto open a new page in our knowledge of the transition from pre-ceramic Las Vegas to ceramic Valdivia cultures.

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LOWLAND MAYA GENESIS: THE LATE ARCHAIC TO LATE EARLY FORMATIVE TRANSITION IN THE UPPER BELIZE RIVER VALLEY

Ancient Mesoamerica ◽

10.1017/s0956536121000420 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 519-544

Author(s):

Jaime J. Awe ◽

Claire E. Ebert ◽

W. James Stemp ◽

M. Kathryn Brown ◽

Lauren A. Sullivan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Formative Period ◽

Cultural Development ◽

River Valley ◽

Transitional Period ◽

Late Archaic ◽

Cultural Changes ◽

Belize River Valley ◽

Trade And Exchange ◽

Early Formative ◽

Lowland Maya

AbstractThe transition from the Late Archaic to the Late Early Formative period witnessed profound changes in the Maya lowlands. In addition to the establishment of the first settlements and agrarian communities, this critical phase of cultural development heralded the introduction of ceramics, saw changes in lithic technology, gave rise to inter-regional trade and exchange, and witnessed the introduction of a complex symbolic system expressed on portable objects. In this article, we synthesize data collected over the past several decades by various archaeological projects in western Belize to provide an overview of the cultural changes that unfolded during the Late Archaic to Late Early Formative period in the Upper Belize River Valley. We also provide evidence indicating that it was during this critical transitional period that we begin to see the establishment of several cultural traditions that became uniquely lowland Maya.

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The ways of fish beyond the sea: fish circulation and consumption in the Atacama desert, northern Chile, during the Formative period (500 cal B.C.-700 cal A.D.)

Anthropozoologica ◽

10.5252/anthropozoologica2019v54a6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 54 (1) ◽

pp. 55 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Benjamín Ballester ◽

Elisa Calás ◽

Rafael Labarca ◽

William Pestle ◽

Francisco Gallardo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atacama Desert ◽

Formative Period ◽

Northern Chile ◽

Sea Fish

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IN SITU X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS OF ROCK ART PAINTINGS ALONG THE COAST AND VALLEYS OF THE ATACAMA DESERT, NORTHERN CHILE

Journal of the Chilean Chemical Society ◽

10.4067/s0717-97072015000100010 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 2822-2826 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

MARCELA SEPÚLVEDA ◽

SEBASTIAN GUTIERREZ ◽

JOSÉ CARCAMO ◽

ADRIAN OYANEDER ◽

DANIELA VALENZUELA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rock Art ◽

Atacama Desert ◽

Fluorescence Analysis ◽

Northern Chile ◽

X Ray

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Paired Radiocarbon Dating on Human Samples and Camelid Fibers and Textiles from Northern Chile: The Case of Pica 8 (Tarapacá)

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/rdc.2017.36 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 59 (4) ◽

pp. 1195-1213 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Francisca Santana-Sagredo ◽

Rick Schulting ◽

Julia Lee-Thorp ◽

Carolina Agüero ◽

Mauricio Uribe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Radiocarbon Dating ◽

Atacama Desert ◽

High Variability ◽

The Other ◽

Bone Collagen ◽

Northern Chile ◽

Late Intermediate Period ◽

Intermediate Period ◽

Diachronic Change ◽

Bird Guano

AbstractPica 8 is a Late Intermediate Period (AD 900–1450) cemetery located in the Atacama Desert. Burials at the site present unexpectedly high variability in δ13C (–8‰ to –16‰) and δ15N (10‰ to 24‰) values in their skeletal tissues, implying highly diverse diets. There are two possible explanations for this variability: the first is diachronic change in diet while the second involves synchronic sociocultural distinctions. To distinguish between them a radiocarbon (14C) dating program (n=23) was initiated. The presumed importance of marine foods adds the complication of a marine reservoir effect. To address this problem, paired 14C dates were obtained on human bone and camelid textiles from nine graves. The results fall into two groups, one showing an average offset of 117±9 14C yr, and the other no statistically significant offsets. We conclude that the contribution of marine foods to bone collagen at Pica 8 was less than previously supposed. Other factors must be invoked to account for the unusually high human δ15N values at the site. Manuring crops with sea-bird guano emerges as a probable explanation. No relationship with chronology is seen implying the presence of considerable diversity in diets and hence lifeways within the Pica 8 community.

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Prehistoric polydactylism: Biological evidence and rock art representation from the Atacama Desert in northern Chile

International Journal of Paleopathology ◽

10.1016/j.ijpp.2018.05.005 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 ◽

pp. 54-65 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Vivien G. Standen ◽

Calogero M. Santoro ◽

Bernardo Arriaza ◽

Daniela Valenzuela ◽

Drew Coleman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rock Art ◽

Atacama Desert ◽

Northern Chile ◽

Biological Evidence

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Determining the Function of One of the New World's Earliest Pottery Assemblages: The Case of San Jacinto, Colombia

Latin American Antiquity ◽

10.2307/972212 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 71-85 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Jo Ann F. Pratt

Keyword(s):

South America ◽

Food Processing ◽

New World ◽

Formative Period ◽

Social Value ◽

South American ◽

Short Term ◽

Hunter Gatherers ◽

Term Storage ◽

Early Formative

AbstractOne of the earliest pottery assemblages in the New World (5900 B. P.) was manufactured by logistically mobile hunter-gatherers at San Jacinto I, in Colombia, South America. The vessels were constructed using fiber temper and were elaborately decorated. These characteristics along with the archaeological context of the pottery suggest that its use was unrelated to cooking or food processing. Visual and statistical analyses indicate the pottery had high economic and social value for this semisedentary group; it likely was utilized for feasting/serving activities and possibly for short-term storage. Comparative analyses indicate that the pottery from other early sites in northeast South American may have served similar functions during the early Formative period.

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