Paleodietary trends in Late Holocene hunter-gatherers from southwestern La Pampa province, Argentina. First results from the Médano Petroquímica site through stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N)

Abstract

The aim of this work is to explore general trends and intra-site variability in human paleodiet from Médano Petroquímica, a burial site created by pre-Hispanic hunter-gatherers and located in the southwest of La Pampa province, Argentina. Measurements of carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) stable isotopes were performed on the human bone and tooth samples of 16 individuals from five of the burials identified in the site (EA, H4, H5, H6-1, and H7). The multivariate diet reconstruction model used indicates the consumption of land/terrestrial resources within a food web based mainly on C3 producers. The results suggest a relatively high trophic position for these individuals, which is consistent with a marked dependence on animal protein, particularly that of herbivores, such as Lama guanicoe, Rhea spp. (and/or its eggs), and omnivorous animals. A relatively greater dispersion observed in δ13Cap values in comparison with δ13Ccol and δ15N values is partially attributed here to greater intra-site variability in the non-protein portion of diet relative to the protein component.