Paleoparasitological and Archaeobotanical Studies of Fecal Remains from the Argentine Puna (Pueblo Viejo de Tucute archaeological site, province of Jujuy, 11th to 15th centuries)

Abstract

Paleoparasitological and archaeobotanical studies provide useful information to reconstruct past scenarios where humans and animals inhabited. However, multi-proxy studies including these research lines are scarce. Here we applied paleoparasitological and archaeobotanical techniques to study a carnivore coprolite and a dung ball from Pueblo Viejo de Tucute archaeological site, in the Argentine Puna. Among parasites, Physaloptera sp., acantocephalan, and ascaridid-like eggs were identified, which shed light on potential parasitic infections and their possible implications for human health. Regarding the botanical evidence, morphotypes related to wild–Prosopis sp. and Geoffroea decorticans–and cultivated plants -Solanum tuberosum and Zea mays- were identified. In addition, pollen grains corresponding to the Amaranthaceae-Chenopodiaceae complex, the families Asteraceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae, and the genera Taraxacum, Atriplex and Nototriche were found. Also, six diatom genera: Denticula, Pinnularia, Encyonema, Cocconeis, Surirella and Rhoicosphenia were identified. These botanical results suggest that the animals were living with humans or wandering around the settlements, which reinforce the hypothesis of possible zoonotic infections. This is the first ancient dung ball analyzed for this kind of study, proving to be a valuable source of information. Altogether, the results provide novel data to reconstruct paleoecological conditions of the region, which complement the available archaeological information.