Paleodietary studies on bioapatite of the inhabitants of the northern Patagonian Archipelago of Chile from the late Holocene to European contact

Abstract

Various lines of evidence suggest changes in the diets and subsistence strategies of hunter-gatherers and fishers during the late Holocene in the northern Patagonian Archipelago of Chile, for example, the incorporation of ceramic technology (ca. 700 years BP) and the introduction of domesticated plants, such as beans, potatoes, and maize (ca. 1700 years BP). δ13C and δ15N values in collagen suggest a predominance of marine and river resource consumption during the last 4000 years BP. The Post-Contact Period in the northern region of this archipelago has experienced a shift in diet and subsistence patterns, primarily characterized by an increased reliance on C3 terrestrial resources for consumption. In this study, δ13C bone bioapatite values are analyzed from 42 individuals from the late Holocene to historical times in the northern Patagonian Archipelago of Chile to expand knowledge regarding changes and continuities in subsistence strategies. The samples are grouped in relation to the place of recovery (Chiloé and Chonos Archipelagos) and chronology (pre-contact and post-contact). The δ13C bioapatite values vary depending on two variables: area and chronology. The most dramatic differences are shown in post-contact Chiloé, where, similar to the shift in protein consumption, there was a drastic change in the total diet, which is now primarily focused on C3 terrestrial resources. These changes, when compared to prior paleodiets, imply marked differences in the socioeconomic systems and subsistence strategies of the populations that inhabited the northern Patagonian Archipelago of Chile.