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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.

El análisis tafonómico permite conocer el origen y las posibles causas de la preservación diferencial en restos óseos. Este conocimiento resulta de suma utilidad para abordar análisis bioarqueológicos, ya que proporciona información clave sobre los procesos de formación del registro bioantropológico y de las condiciones ambientales del pasado. Este trabajo se centra en el estudio de los procesos y agentes post-depósitacionales de origen no antrópico que actuaron en el sitio Médano Petroquímica, un sitio con entierros prehispánicos (entre 419 ± 46 AP y 363 ± 45 AP) ubicado al sudoeste de la provincia de La Pampa, Argentina. Se realizaron análisis tafonómicos en restos óseos humanos correspondientes a 19 individuos recuperados de un entierro primario simple y tres entierros secundarios múltiples. Se contabilizaron 4179 especímenes correspondientes a 1829 elementos. Los resultados muestran que los entierros múltiples fueron afectados de manera similar por las distintas variables consideradas. Aunque la meteorización fue la variable registrada con mayor frecuencia, la acción de raíces habría sido la que mayormente afectó la integridad de los elementos. Esta experiencia pretende destacar la importancia del análisis tafonómico en los entierros humanos para obtener información acerca de la influencia del ambiente en el registro bioarqueológico. Taphonomic analysis allows knowing the origin and the possible causes of the differential preservation in bone remains. This knowledge is very useful for approaching bioarchaeological analyzes, as it provides key information on the processes of formation of the bioanthropological record and the environmental conditions of the past. This work focuses on the study of post-depositional processes and agents of non-anthropogenic origin that affected the Médano Petroquímica site, a pre-Hispanic hunter-gatherer cemetery (between 419 ± 46 BP and 363± 45 BP) located in the southwest of the province of La Pampa, Argentina. Taphonomic analyzes were performed on human skeletal remains corresponding to 19 individuals recovered from a single primary burial and three multiple secondary burials. 4179 specimens corresponding to 1829 elements were counted. The results show that multiple burials were similarly affected by the variables considered. Although weathering was the most frequently recorded variable, the action of roots would have had the greatest impact on the integrity of the elements. This experience aims to highlight the importance of taphonomic analysis in human burials to obtain information about the environmental influence on the bioarchaeological record. Fil: Bottini, Melina Cecilia. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina Fil: Arrieta, Mario Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina Fil: Bernardi, Lila. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicoquímicas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina

En este trabajo se propone la utilización de herramientas provenientes de la tafonomía y la arqueotanatología para ampliar el conocimiento sobre las costumbres mortuorias y los procesos de formación de sitio a partir del análisis de restos óseos humanos. La muestra proviene del sitio Médano Petroquímica, un área de inhumación ubicada al sudoeste de la provincia de La Pampa, Argentina, que habría sido originada por sociedades cazadoras recolectoras de finales del Holoceno Tardío. Los resultados obtenidos del estudio de cuatro entierros, uno primario y tres secundarios (NMI=19), sugieren que las huellas de corte y la permanencia de relaciones articulares son consistentes con prácticas de manipulación del cuerpo en diferentes momentos después de la muerte. Por su parte, la actividad de insectos se registró en mayor frecuencia en el entierro primario. Los fechados, junto con la presencia de insectos, ocre y las características específicas de cada rasgo soportarían mayormente la sincronía en la inhumación de los rasgos del sitio. This paper proposes the use of analytical tools from taphonomy and archaeothanatology to expand knowledge about mortuary customs and site formation processes from the analysis of human bone remains. The sample comes from the Médano Petroquímica site, an inhumation area located south west of La Pampa province, Argentina, which would have been originated by hunter-gatherer societies from the Late Holocene. The results obtained from the study of four burials, one primary and three secondary (NMI=19), suggest that the cut-marks and the presence of articular relationships are consistent with practices of body manipulation at different times after death. Furthermore, a greater frequency of insects activity was recorded in the primary burial. The radiocarbon dates, along with the presence of insects, ocher, and the specific features of each burial, would largely support the synchrony in the inhumation of the features of the site. Fil: Bottini, Melina Cecilia. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina Fil: Arrieta, Mario Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina Fil: Bernardi, Lila. Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Fisicoquímicas y Naturales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentina

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

El análisis osteológico de lesiones atribuibles a violencia constituye una valiosa herramienta para el estudio de conflictos en poblaciones del pasado. Con el objeto de aportar al conocimiento de tales expresiones, se analizan, discuten e interpretan patrones y frecuencias de lesiones atribuibles a violencia en esqueletos correspondientes a distintas secuencias del desarrollo sociocultural del noroeste argentino (NOA). Se relevaron fracturas atribuibles a violencia en 130 individuos mayores de 15 años de edad, pertenecientes a cinco conjuntos óseos provenientes de cinco sitios prehistóricos. Los sitios y materiales asociados corresponden a la serie sociocultural Formativo Inferior, Desarrollos Regionales, Inca e Hispano-Indígena I. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto la existencia de episodios de violencia en toda la secuencia sociocultural representada. Aunque se observó una mayor prevalencia de individuos afectados en el Hispano-Indígena I (6/35, 17.14 %) respecto de los otros, (Formativo Inferior: 1/13, 7.69 % y Desarrollos Regionales / Inca 7/82, 8.54 %), las diferencias no resultaron estadísticamente significativas. Se concluye que los episodios de violencia se manifestaron en la región desde tiempos Formativos, verificándose ininterrumpidamente hasta el Hispano-Indígena I. Entre las posibles causas que ocasionaron las lesiones se considera la existencia de conflictos intra e intergrupo. The osteological analysis of injuries attributable to violence is a valuable tool for the study of conflict among peoples from the past. In order to contribute to the knowledge of such expressions, patterns of injuries attributable to violence found in complete skeletons (130 individuals over 15 years of age) from five different sites from northwest Argentina (NOA) are analyzed, discussed and interpreted. The osteo-logical evidence and associated materials correspond to four different sociocultural series: Lower Formative, Regional Developments, Inca and Hispanic-Indigenous I. The results show the existence of violence throughout the entire sociocultural sequence here represented. Although a higher prevalence of affected individuals was observed in the Hispanic-Indigenous I series (6/35, 17.14 %), compared to the others (Lower Formative: 1/13, 7.69 % and Regional Developments / Inca: 7/82, 8.54 %), such differences were not statistically significant. We conclude that violence is demonstrated in the region at least since the Lower Formative period, and continues until the Hispano-Indigenous I period. Among the possible causes that led to the registered violence, the existence of intra and inter-group conflicts is considered.

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.