Patterns of dietary diversity in Holocene north-west South America: new insights from Bayesian stable isotope mixing models

Abstract

For two decades, stable isotope studies have documentedpalaeodietary transitions in the Sabana deBogotá region of north-west South America. Usingtraditional and Bayesian stable isotope mixing models,this article investigates the contribution of differentresources to Holocene human diets. Temporalpatterns include dietary emphases on plants duringthe Early and Middle Holocene, on maize horticulturethrough the initial Late Holocene and onmaize/tuber agriculture during the final Late Holocene;animal protein apparently contributed littleacross all periods. These results suggest that the managementand selection of diverse plants occurredearly, and the later emphasis on maize raises universalquestions about the role of agriculture in culturalchange and social differentiation