Camelid husbandry in the Atacama Desert? A stable isotope study of camelid bone collagen and textiles from the Lluta and Camarones Valleys, northern Chile

PLoS One. 2020 Mar 11;15(3):e0228332. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228332. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Management of camelids in the coastal valleys of the Andes has generated much debate in recent years. Zooarchaeological and isotopic studies have demonstrated that in the coastal valleys of northern and southern Peru there were locally maintained camelid herds. Because of the hyperarid conditions of the northern coast of Chile, this region has been assumed to be unsuitable for the raising of camelids. In this study we report stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of camelid bone collagen and textiles made from camelid fiber from Late Intermediate Period (LIP) and Late Horizon (LH) occupations in northern Chilean river valleys. The camelid bone collagen isotopic compositions are consistent with these animals originating in the highlands, although there is a significant difference in the camelids dating to the LIP and LH, possibly because of changes made to distribution and exchange networks by the Inca in the LH. There were no differences between the isotopic compositions of the camelid fibers sampled from textiles in the LIP and LH, suggesting that either the production of camelid fiber was unchanged by the Inca or the changes that were made do not present visible isotopic evidence. Several camelid fiber samples from both the LIP and LH present very high δ13C and δ15N values, comparable to human hair samples from one site (Huancarane) in the Camarones Valley. These data suggest that people in the northern valleys of Chile may have kept small numbers of animals specifically for fiber production. Overall, however, the vast majority of the textile samples have isotopic compositions that are consistent with an origin in the highlands. These data suggest that the hyperarid coastal river valleys of northern Chile did not support substantial camelid herds as has been interpreted for northern Peru.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animal Husbandry / history*
  • Animals
  • Archaeology
  • Bone and Bones / chemistry
  • Camelids, New World*
  • Carbon Isotopes / analysis
  • Chile
  • Collagen / chemistry
  • Fossils
  • History, 15th Century
  • History, 16th Century
  • History, Medieval
  • Nitrogen Isotopes / analysis
  • Peru
  • Wool Fiber / analysis
  • Wool Fiber / history*

Substances

  • Carbon Isotopes
  • Nitrogen Isotopes
  • Collagen

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Canada Research Chairs Program (PS, 950-231012), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (PS, JELF 36506), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (PS, SSHRC 435-2019-0657), Fondo Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (DV, FONDECYT, No. 1151046), and UTA633 Mayor 3738-19 (DV). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.