Perros indígenas en el Nordeste argentino

Abstract

Canis familiaris had a limited record in prehistoric archaeological sites of Southern South America, although during the last decade, more specimens were recorded. In this scenario, the paper discusses their economic and social roles within past indigenous societies. It presents new remains of dogs from five archaeological sites along the Paraná and Uruguay rivers in the Argentinean Northeast. The studied sample includes seven cranial and one postcranial specimens corresponding to young and adult individuals. Estimated body size indicates that they belong to medium sized dogs (13-23 kg). Some of them present anthropic cut marks and carnivore marks. Three specimens were dated between ca. 2500 and 900 14C cal BP. It is concluded that Canis familiaris show older ages and slightly larger sizes than previous records. In addition, the evidence of anthropic processing indicates the human consumption of dogs. The new 14C dates extend the chronological range of indigenous dogs known for Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Its presence is linked to hunter-gatherer-fishers and horticulturalist indigenous populations with a pronounced fluvial adaptation during the late Holocene.