Evidence of Plant Processing in Early Villages of Northwestern Argentina Revealed by Organic Residue Analysis in Pottery (La Ciénega Valley, ca. AD 200–600)

Abstract

The consolidation of village life in the southern Andes implied profound transformations in human lifeways and in people’s relationships with the environment, plants, and animals. Contributions from archaeological sciences have the potential to shed light on these transformations, particularly by providing new information about patterns of food production and consumption. In this article, we present the first results of organic residue analysis on ceramic containers of early village societies of northwestern Argentina (La Ciénega Valley, AD 200–600) by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We tested previous characterizations of La Ciénega village’s subsistence strategies through the lens of absorbed organic residues in pottery. Preliminary evidence indicates a predominance of biomarkers associated with vegetable products in the vessels and a lower contribution of animal fats, suggesting a strong reliance on plant-based foods among early villager groups in La Ciénega settlements