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The aim of this work is to explore general trends and intra-site variability in human paleodiet from Medano Petroquimica, 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.

In Bioarchaeology, the paleodemographic analysis has been widely questioned and is often reduced to a simple study of the age and sex composition in skeletal series. This work constitutes the first paleodemographic approach for the Medano Petroquimica site (La Pampa, Argentina). We discuss different paleodemographic parameters based on the analysis of the human bone remains recovered from the site. The results obtained from the study of 75 individuals show an attritional mortality curve, with two mortality peaks, one for infants under one year of age and one for young adults. This profile suggests the presence of high infant mortality and high exposure to risk situations in young adults, which is consistent with previous studies about prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies in the region. Besides, the calculated juvenile index (JI) suggests, on the one hand, that it would be a growing population and, on the other, that the sample would not be biased.

In the territory of Jujuy province, Northwest Argentina (NWA), a marked environmental diversity promoted the emergence of a wide spectrum of subsistence strategies during prehistoric times. This work explores thevariability of human paleodiets from different environmental and temporal contexts of the province. Bone and tooth samples of 30 individuals from five archaeological sites were analysed: Til 20 (late Formative), Til 1, Yacoraite (Regional Developments and Inca), Til 43 (Hispanic-Indigenous) in Quebrada de Humahuaca, and Doncellas (Regional Developments and Inca) in Puna. The results of carbon and nitrogen isotopic analyses reveal a strong relevance of C4 resources and a balance between meat and plant components of the diet for Quebrada de Humahuaca. Late Formative site Til 20 exhibits more enriched δ13C and δ15N values than Regional Developments and Inca sites, reflecting higher consumption of C4 resources and a greater relevance of the meat component in diet or, alternatively, crop manuring practices. Hispanic-Indigenous samples exhibited intermediate isotopic values, which indicate the consumption of C4 and C3 plant resources and enriched animal protein. In Puna, δ15N values show certain homogeneity around values that reflect a balance between meat andplant components in the diet. It is also observed in this region a great dispersion of the δ13C values for organic and mineral fractions, ranging from those reflecting high intake of C4 resources to those where C3 resources have greater relevance. Fil: Lynch Ianniello, Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Osteología y Anatomia Funcional Humana; Argentina Fil: Mendonca, Osvaldo Juan. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Osteología y Anatomia Funcional Humana; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Arrieta, Mario Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Osteología y Anatomia Funcional Humana; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Bernardi, Lila. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Osteología y Anatomia Funcional Humana; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Bordach de Mendonca, Maria de la Asuncion. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Laboratorio de Osteología y Anatomia Funcional Humana; Argentina

We explore and discuss the theoretical approaches that have shaped osteological studies in Argentina over the past several decades. Initially, from the second half of the nineteenth century until well beyond the first half of twentieth, the influence of European approaches dominated with emphases on racial types as well as diffusion theories. Human remains were considered and studied separately from their contextual associations and used mostly as sources for typological and racial analyses. Due to a growing academic influence from both American and European scholars, since the 1970s, osteological research in Argentina has become increasingly grounded in modern bioarchaeological techniques and results interpreted within bioarchaeology theories as well as those related to social dimensions of mortuary behaviour. While this development parallels changes in the field elsewhere, some bioarchaeological studies still use inappropriate samples and methods which lead to biased data analysis and overly simplistic interpretations. Furthermore, in recent years, native communities have started to claim their rights to land ownership and to the archaeological patrimony. This has become a major legal and academic issue that poses real challenges to scholars interested in the reconstruction of the past through bioarchaeological research.