Amaranthus hybridus L. ssp. hybridus in an archaeological site from the initial mid-Holocene in the Southern Argentinian Puna

Abstract

The main objective is to present the discovery of a wild species of the Amaranthus genus found within an archaeological site whose general context corresponds with hunteregatherer settlements dated between ca. 7910 and 7270 BP. Numerous seeds were collected at various stratigraphic layers of Peñas de la Cruz 1.1 site (PCz1.1), a rockshelter located in the Southern Argentinian Puna, in Antofagasta de la Sierra (Catamarca, NW Argentina). The implications of the findings are assessed in relation to the subsistence for these groups traditionally known as camelid hunters. In the overall context of the South-central Andes, the presence of these seeds might indicate early practices in the handling of wild plant species intended for human consumption during the initial mid-Holocene.