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Archeological evidence suggests that the iconographic and technological developments that took place in the highlands around Lake Titicaca in the Central Andean region had an influence on the cultural elaborations of the human groups in the valleys and the Pacific coast of northern Chile. In a previous communication, we were able to show, by means of a distance analysis, that a craniofacial differentiation accompanied the process of cultural evolution in the valleys (Rothhammer and Santoro [2001] Lat. Am. Antiq. 12:59-66). Recently, numerous South Amerindian mtDNA studies were published, and more accurate molecular techniques to study ancient mtDNA are available. In view of these recent developments, we decided 1) to study chronological changes of ancient mtDNA haplogroup frequencies in the nearby Lluta, Azapa, and Camarones Valleys, 2) to identify microevolutionary forces responsible for such changes, and 3) to compare ancient mtDNA haplogroup frequencies with previous data in order to validate craniometrical results and to reconstruct the biological history of the prehistoric valley groups in the context of their interaction with culturally more developed highland populations. From a total of 97 samples from 83 individuals, 68 samples (61 individuals) yielded amplifications for the fragments that harbor classical mtDNA markers. The haplogroup distribution among the total sample was as follows: 26.2%, haplogroup A; 34.4%, haplogroup B; 14.8%, haplogroup C; 3.3%, haplogroup D; and 21.3%, other haplogroups. Haplogroup B tended to increase, and haplogroup A to decrease during a 3,900-year time interval. The sequence data are congruent with the haplogroup analysis. In fact, the sequencing of hypervariable region I of 30 prehistoric individuals revealed 43 polymorphic sites. Sequence alignment and subsequent phylogenetic tree construction showed two major clusters associated with the most common restriction haplogroups. Individuals belonging to haplogroups C and D tended to cluster together with nonclassical lineages.

Over one thousand prehistoric crania (n = 1,149) from northern Chile were analyzed to determine if the presence of external auditory exostosis (EAE) was a type of subsistence-induced pathology, a consequence of habitual fishing i the cold water of the Pacific Ocean, rather than genetically determined. To test this occupational hypothesis, the sample was divided according to chronology, type of economy, site elevation, and sex. The crania came from 43 sites, including the coast, lowland valleys (100–2,000 m), and highlands (2,000 to 4,000 m) with a time frame of 7,000 B.C. to the Inca era (1500 A.D.). There was a significant association between EAE, environment, and sex. The coastal inhabitants had the highest prevalence of EAE with 30.7% (103/336), followed by 2.3% (6/264) for the valley people and 0% (0/549) for highlanders. Coastal and valley men were significantly more affected than their female counterparts. Contrary to expectations, there was nonsignificant association between EAE and economy and/or chronology. In the Arica area, the early Chinchorro fishers, without agriculture, had 27.7% (26/94) EAE, the subsequent agro-pastoralists, 42.7% (32/75), and the late Arican agro-pastoral fishers had 35.6% (36/101) EAE. Apparently, with the advent of agriculture, the coastal Arican populations increased their ocean harvests, rather than decreased them, to gain a surplus in order to trade with nonmaritime groups. Am J Phys Anthropol 103:119–129, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Burials and mummies of dogs from the Arica, Chile, area are described. It is concluded that these dogs were brought to this area 2500 years ago by shepherds from the highlands and are still present, relatively unchanged. Eight mummies of dogs with the hair pre- sent were studied. The cultures from which they came are known and carbon-14 dates were obtained from human mummies in the ceme- teries where the dogs were found. Additional skeletal material was available but was not included in these studies except to note that these skeletons were similar to the mummies when compared with radiographs of the latter. One ceramic of a dog was also studied, the only such ceramic seen in over 30 years of exca- vating in this zone. Petroglyphs (stone carv- ings) and geoglyphs (pictures made by placing stones) in the Arica area were also examined for figures that might possibly represent dogs. RESULTS Geoglyphs and petroglyphs were examined in the valleys of Azapa, Camarones, Lluta, and Codpa, all in the Arica area. Petroglyphs of dogs were seen in the Azapa valley at Livicar near the parking area for the fiesta of the Vir- gen de las Pefias. The dogs were associated with human figures, and cameloids. A fox was also seen and could easily be distinguished from the dogs by his bushy tail. In the lower part of the Azapa valley near Cerro Sombrero were geoglyphs that also show human figures and cameloids in association with a dog. The valley of Codpa had foxes as well as dogs in the pe- troglyphs from Olagia, in Camerones dogs were also noted at Taltape.