- Paseo del Bosque s/n. (B1900FWA), La Plata, República Argentina.
- Early peopling of America, Bioarchaeology, Evolutionary Anthropology, Archaeological Theory, Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology, Historical Biogeography, and 30 moreHunter-Gatherers (Anthropology), Geometric Morphometrics, Biological Anthropology, Archaeology, Craniofacial Morphology, Molecular Anthropology, Dental Anthropology, Early Hominids, Anthropology, Human Evolution, The peopling of the Americas, Evolutionary Geography, Ecological Niche Modeling, Archaeological Predictive Modeling, Andean Archaeology, Imperialism, Calendrics & Statecraft, Archaechemistry, Morphological Integration and Modularity, Paleoecology, Paleoanthropology, Stable Isotope Analysis, Archaeological Method & Theory, South America (Archaeology), Stable Isotopes, South American Archaeology, Paleopathology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, and Isotopic analysis and mixing modelsedit
- I am an archaeologist at the National University of La Plata, Argentina. My research is about the early peopling of ... moreI am an archaeologist at the National University of La Plata, Argentina. My research is about the early peopling of South America as viewed from bioarchaeological indicators within a chronological and paleoenvironmental framework. The theoretical bases of my research are human biogeography and evolutionary geography. In addition, I am interested in stable isotope analysis, 3D geometric morphometrics in modern and past hominin populations and the correlation between genetic and phenotypic traits among living human populations.edit
- Gustavo Barrientosedit
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Human-Environment Relations, Hunters, Fishers and Gatherers' Archaeology, Prehistoric Settlement, and 6 morePleistocene, Hunter-Gatherers (Anthropology), Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology, Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene, The peopling of the Americas, and Hunter-Gatherers
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Guinea pigs (Cavia spp.) have a long association with humans. From as early as 10,000 years ago they were a wild food source. Later, domesticated Cavia porcellus were dispersed well beyond their native range through pre-Columbian exchange... more
Guinea pigs (Cavia spp.) have a long association with humans. From as early as 10,000 years ago they were a wild food source. Later, domesticated Cavia porcellus were dispersed well beyond their native range through pre-Columbian exchange networks and, more recently, widely across the globe. Here we present 46 complete mitogenomes of archaeological guinea pigs from sites in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, the Caribbean, Belgium and the United States to elucidate their evolutionary history, origins and paths of dispersal. our results indicate an independent centre of domestication of Cavia in the eastern colombian Highlands. We identify a peruvian origin for the initial introduction of domesticated guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) beyond South America into the caribbean. We also demonstrate that peru was the probable source of the earliest known guinea pigs transported, as part of the exotic pet trade, to both Europe and the southeastern United States. Finally, we identify a modern reintroduction of guinea pigs to Puerto Rico, where local inhabitants use them for food. This research demonstrates that the natural and cultural history of guinea pigs is more complex than previously known and has implications for other studies regarding regional to global-scale studies of mammal domestication, translocation, and distribution. The use of ancient DNA (aDNA) in studies of animal domestication and subsequent translocation has radically improved our ability to identify spatially, temporally, and culturally variable processes of domestication and the diversity of social networks behind domestic species distribution (e.g. 1,2). Increasingly, aDNA studies are revising previous assumptions of geographically conscripted animal domestication and dispersal events to reveal multiple centers, timings, and processes of domestication of the world's most prominent domestic animals (e.g. pigs, chickens, cattle, dogs 3-6). Because domestic animals are exemplar proxies for investigating past human migration and interaction, understanding long-term, diachronic patterns of when and where species domestication and
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On the basis of distinct lines of evidence, detailed reconstructions of the Holocene population history of the Sabana de Bogotá (SB) region, Northern South America, have been performed. Currently, there exist two competing models that... more
On the basis of distinct lines of evidence, detailed reconstructions of the Holocene population history of the Sabana de Bogotá (SB) region, Northern South America, have been performed. Currently, there exist two competing models that support temporal continuity or, alternatively, divergence. Despite recent research that lends support to the population discontinuity model, several discrepancies remain, calling for other kinds of evidences to be explored for a more detailed picture of Holocene biocultural evolution. In this study, we analyze the mitochondrial genetic diversity of 30 individuals (including 15 newly reported complete mitochondrial genomes) recovered from several archaeological sites spanning from the late Pleistocene (12,164 cal BP) until the final late Holocene (2,751 cal BP) along with published data from the region dating ~9,000-550 cal BP in order to investigate diachronic genetic change. Genetic diversity and distance indices were calculated, and demographic models tested in an approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) framework to evaluate whether patterns of genetic affinities of the SB prehispanic populations support genetic continuity or discontinuity. The results show that mitochondrial genomes of the complete dataset fall within the Native American haplogroups A2, B2, C1b, D1 and D4h3a. Haplotype and nucleotide diversity declined over time with further evidence of genetic drift and remarkable reduction of genetic diversity during the final late Holocene. Inter-population distances and the exact test of population differentiation, as well as demographic simulations show no population differentiation and population continuity over time. Consequently, based on the analyzed data, we cannot reject the genetic continuity in the SB region as a plausible population history scenario. However, the restriction of the analyses to the Hyper Variable Region 1 of the mitochondrial genome, and the very low sample size both constitute significant limitations to infer evolutionary history.
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Objectives: To investigate the variation in dental nonmetric traits and to evaluate the utility of this variation for inferring genetic ancestry proportions in a sample of admixed Latin Americans. Materials and Methods: We characterized a... more
Objectives: To investigate the variation in dental nonmetric traits and to evaluate the utility of
this variation for inferring genetic ancestry proportions in a sample of admixed Latin Americans.
Materials and Methods: We characterized a sample from Colombia (N = 477) for 34 dental
traits and obtained estimates of individual Native American, European, and African ancestry
using genome-wide SNP data. We tested for correlation between dental traits, genetic ancestry,
age, and sex. We carried out a biodistance analysis between the Colombian sample and reference
continental population samples using the mean measure of divergence statistic calculated
from dental trait frequencies. We evaluated the inference of genetic ancestry from dental traits
using a regression approach (with 10-fold cross-validation) as well as by testing the correlation
between estimates of ancestry obtained from genetic and dental data.
Results: Latin Americans show intermediate dental trait frequencies when compared to Native
Americans, Europeans, and Africans. Significant correlations were observed for several dental
traits, genetic ancestry, age, and sex. The biodistance analysis displayed a closer relationship of
Colombians to Europeans than to Native Americans and Africans. Mean ancestry estimates
obtained from the dental data are similar to the genetic estimates (Native American: 32%
vs. 28%, European: 59% vs. 63%, and African: 9% vs. 9%, respectively). However, dental features
this variation for inferring genetic ancestry proportions in a sample of admixed Latin Americans.
Materials and Methods: We characterized a sample from Colombia (N = 477) for 34 dental
traits and obtained estimates of individual Native American, European, and African ancestry
using genome-wide SNP data. We tested for correlation between dental traits, genetic ancestry,
age, and sex. We carried out a biodistance analysis between the Colombian sample and reference
continental population samples using the mean measure of divergence statistic calculated
from dental trait frequencies. We evaluated the inference of genetic ancestry from dental traits
using a regression approach (with 10-fold cross-validation) as well as by testing the correlation
between estimates of ancestry obtained from genetic and dental data.
Results: Latin Americans show intermediate dental trait frequencies when compared to Native
Americans, Europeans, and Africans. Significant correlations were observed for several dental
traits, genetic ancestry, age, and sex. The biodistance analysis displayed a closer relationship of
Colombians to Europeans than to Native Americans and Africans. Mean ancestry estimates
obtained from the dental data are similar to the genetic estimates (Native American: 32%
vs. 28%, European: 59% vs. 63%, and African: 9% vs. 9%, respectively). However, dental features
Research Interests:
Objectives: To investigate the variation in dental nonmetric traits and to evaluate the utility of this variation for inferring genetic ancestry proportions in a sample of admixed Latin Americans. Materials and Methods: We characterized a... more
Objectives: To investigate the variation in dental nonmetric traits and to evaluate the utility of this variation for inferring genetic ancestry proportions in a sample of admixed Latin Americans. Materials and Methods: We characterized a sample from Colombia (N=477) for 34 dental traits and obtained estimates of individual Native American, European and African ancestry using genome-wide SNP data. We tested for correlation between dental traits, genetic ancestry, age and sex. We carried out a biodistance analysis between the Colombian sample and reference continental population samples using the mean measure of divergence statistic calculated from dental trait frequencies. We evaluated the inference of genetic ancestry from dental traits using a regression approach (with 10-fold cross-validation) as well as by testing the correlation between estimates of ancestry obtained from genetic and dental data. Results: Latin Americans show intermediate dental trait frequencies when compared to Native Americans, Europeans and Africans. Significant correlations were observed for several dental traits, genetic ancestry, age and sex. The biodistance analysis displayed a closer relationship of Colombians to Europeans than to Native Americans and Africans. Mean ancestry estimates obtained from the dental data are similar to the genetic estimates (Native American: 32% v 28%, European: 59% v 63% and African: 9% v 9%, respectively). However, dental features provided low predictive power for genetic ancestry of individuals in both approaches tested (R2 < 5% for all genetic ancestries across methods). Discussion: The frequency of dental traits in Latin Americans reflects their admixed Native American, European and African ancestry and can provide reasonable average estimates of genetic ancestry. However, the accuracy of individual genetic ancestry estimates is relatively low, probably influenced by the continental differentiation of dental traits, their genetic architecture, and the distribution of genetic ancestry in the individuals examined.
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Colombia representa un área importante para estudiar el poblamiento inicial de Sudamérica debido a su posición geográfica y marcada diversidad eco-cultural. Avances recientes en la investigación arqueológica así como en el estudio de la... more
Colombia representa un área importante para estudiar el poblamiento inicial de Sudamérica debido a su posición geográfica y marcada diversidad eco-cultural. Avances recientes en la investigación arqueológica así como en el estudio de la diversidad molecular y en el análisis de restos óseos prehispánicos empleando métodos estadísticos, enfoques poblacionales y teóricos más robustos, ameritan una revisión. En este trabajo se presenta un resumen general de las investigaciones arqueológicas y bioantropológicas realizadas sobre el poblamiento inicial de Colombia al mismo tiempo que se discuten algunos aspectos relacionados sobre dicho proceso.
Palabras clave: Poblamiento inicial, arqueología, bioantropología, Colombia
Palabras clave: Poblamiento inicial, arqueología, bioantropología, Colombia
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Objectives: Several authors using multiple and independent lines of evidence investigating the biocultural continuity versus discontinuity in the Sabana de Bogot a region, in the eastern highlands of Colombia, have arrived at... more
Objectives: Several authors using multiple and independent lines of evidence investigating the biocultural continuity versus discontinuity in the Sabana de Bogot a region, in the eastern highlands of Colombia, have arrived at contradictory conclusions supporting either scenarios. This study analyzes the craniofacial size and shape variation of diachronic samples from the study region to test distinct population history scenarios that support continuity or, alternatively, divergence. Materials and methods: A total of 92 adult skulls belonging to five chronological groups, ranging from c. 10,100 to 350 14 C YBP, were analyzed through Procrustean geometric morphometric techniques. Matrix correlation analysis, multivariate exploratory (PCA, FDA), and evolutionary quantitative genetic methods (R-matrix analysis and b-test) were used to study the diachronic cra-niofacial shape variation. Results: A model that supports strong evolutionary diversification over the Holocene better explains the patterns of morphological variation observed. At least two periods of significant cra-niofacial size and shape change were detected: one during the middle to initial late Holocene transition (c. 4,000–3,200 14 C YBP) and other toward the final late Holocene (post-2,000 14 C YBP), which exhibit differences in the pattern and magnitude of cranial divergence. In addition, the differentiation viewed between early and mid-Holocene foragers could mark the initial entry of non-local populations into the region toward the beginnings of the middle Holocene. Discussion: Distinct to previous investigations the present study supports a more complex regional population history where multiple population contractions/extinctions, dispersals and assimilations along with dietary adaptations took place during the last 10,000 years. These results are in agreement with the archaeological and paleoecological record which suggests marked periods of change rather than temporal stability.
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Abstract The Sabana de Bogotá in the northern Andes is an interesting region to investigate temporal patterns of dietary variation because it counts with a vast archaeological and osteological record for the last 10,000 years. In this... more
Abstract The Sabana de Bogotá in the northern Andes is an interesting region to investigate temporal patterns of dietary variation because it counts with a vast archaeological and osteological record for the last 10,000 years. In this paper stable isotope data of human archaeological bone collagen and apatite were used to study the evolution of diet and major subsistence transformations taking place during the Holocene (~9000- 600 cal BP). Paleoenvironmental reconstructions and the isotopic ecology of the Sabana de Bogotá were used as an interpretative baseline. Stable isotope measurements (δ13Ccol, δ13Cap, δ15N and Δ13Ccol-ap) representing hunter-gatherers, horticulturalists and agriculturalists (N=134 individuals) were analyzed using bivariate, regressional and discriminant statistical techniques. Results show that early Holocene hunter-gatherers (9000-7000 cal BP) consumed mostly C3 vegetal resources locally available. In contrast, animal protein was less important. Middle Holocene hunter-gatherers (6000-4500 cal BP) continued with the food-foraging pattern observed in the earlier counterparts and presented a slight increase in C3 animal protein intake. During the initial late Holocene ca. 4000 cal BP important shifts in subsistence strategies occurred when populations presented a trend towards mixed C3/C4 diets and by ca. 3500 cal BP there is a clear signal of C4 crops (i.e. maize) consumption concomitant with the introduction of ceramic technology. During the final late Holocene (last 2000 cal years BP) intensive agriculture was adopted and humans presented relatively diverse diets integrated by C4 and C3 crops, C3 - C4 feeding animals and freshwater resources. Such dietary change coincides with an increase in sociopolitical complexity, population size and a general decline in health.
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The northwestern corner of South America, represented by the current territory of Colombia, is a key region to assess some relevant issues linked with the initial human peopling of the area, including population dispersals, cultural... more
The northwestern corner of South America, represented by the current territory of Colombia, is a key region to assess some relevant issues linked with the initial human peopling of the area, including population dispersals, cultural diversity, and early adaptations to the changing environmental conditions experienced by lowland and highland north-Andean Neotropical ecosystems at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. The aim of this paper is to present a synthesis of the archaeological research about early peopling carried out in Northwest South America during the last four decades. Specifically, it will focus on the adaptive strategies and the cultural diversity patterns exhibited by the early hunter-gatherer groups that entered the region since late Pleistocene times. The classic ideas about the time of arrival of the first settlers, the dispersal routes, the incidence of the climate change in on the rate of dispersal and colonization of different habitats, and the role of the megafauna in the subsistence will be reviewed, prior to the formulation of new hypotheses about the meaning of the apparent intraregional diversity of the archaeological record and the evolution of economic strategies over time.
Research Interests:
Here we present an invited volume in Quaternary International integrated by a series of papers that deal with the human-environment interaction during the initial peopling phase from a continental perspective from Mexico to Patagonia,... more
Here we present an invited volume in Quaternary International integrated by a series of papers that deal with the human-environment interaction during the initial peopling phase from a continental perspective from Mexico to Patagonia, including the Pacific coast of South America, the Andean highlands, the tropical lowlands and the wide grasslands of the South of the continent. Also the evidences studied and the methodological and theoretical approaches were diverse. This volume is the result of the session chaired for Miguel Delgado and Francisco Aceituno entitled “Multidisciplinary studies on the human-environment interaction during the initial phase of the American peopling” held during the VI International Symposium Early Man in America: Models and Contributions from Tropical Territories” presented in Pereira, Colombia in November (19-24) 2012. The main aims of the session were to offer a place to present recent results favoring multidisciplinary approaches on the interaction between humans, the environment (climate and landscape) and other animal and vegetal species during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition and to discuss new theoretical and methodological strategies to address such interaction from the archaeological record in relation with other evidences.
Research Interests:
Here we present an invited volume in Quaternary International integrated by a series of papers that deal with the human-environment interaction during the initial peopling phase from a continental perspective from Mexico to Patagonia,... more
Here we present an invited volume in Quaternary International integrated by a series of papers that deal with the human-environment interaction during the initial peopling phase from a continental perspective from Mexico to Patagonia, including the Pacific coast of South America, the Andean highlands, the tropical lowlands and the wide grasslands of the South of the continent. Also the evidences studied and the methodological and theoretical approaches were diverse. This volume is the result of the session chaired for Miguel Delgado and Francisco Aceituno entitled “Multidisciplinary studies on the human-environment interaction during the initial phase of the American peopling” held during the VI International Symposium Early Man in America: Models and Contributions from Tropical Territories” presented in Pereira, Colombia in November (19-24) 2012. The main aims of the session were to offer a place to present recent results favoring multidisciplinary approaches on the interaction between humans, the environment (climate and landscape) and other animal and vegetal species during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition and to discuss new theoretical and methodological strategies to address such interaction from the archaeological record in relation with other evidences.
Research Interests:
The aim of this paper is to make a critical appraisal of the available 14C dataset from Northwest South America (Colombia) corresponding to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition (ca. 12,000-8000 14C years BP). The first step in the study... more
The aim of this paper is to make a critical appraisal of the available 14C dataset from Northwest South
America (Colombia) corresponding to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition (ca. 12,000-8000 14C years
BP). The first step in the study was to assemble from both published and unpublished sources an
exhaustive database of 14C dates (n = 85), recording data regarding the environmental setting and spatial
coordinates of each site, stratigraphic provenance of the dated samples, material used for dating, and 14C
dating method. After the application of different filtering procedures based on outlier detection techniques,
the database was subsequently reduced (n = 77). Using uncalibrated and calibrated dates, some
spatial and temporal trends in data distribution were investigated in order to illustrate both the strengths
and weaknesses of the available database. It is concluded that three main features that characterize the
14C dataset from Northwest South America, namely the very high percentage of 14C measurements made
on charcoal, the almost total disregard of bone as a target sample for dating, and the extremely low
percentage of AMS dates, partially affect both its reliability and comparability. It is suggested that, in
order to use 14C dates as data to make reliable inferences about the timing, pattern, process and tempo of
early exploration and colonization of the study area, work at two different levels would be profitably
carried out. In the short term, it would be advisable to develop an extensive and exhaustive program
aimed at redating, with AMS and new sample selection criteria, the more significant archaeological
assemblages attributable to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. In the medium to long term, it would be
necessary to implement new research projects specifically aimed at obtaining original information about
early human settlement in different geographical areas of the Colombian territory.
America (Colombia) corresponding to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition (ca. 12,000-8000 14C years
BP). The first step in the study was to assemble from both published and unpublished sources an
exhaustive database of 14C dates (n = 85), recording data regarding the environmental setting and spatial
coordinates of each site, stratigraphic provenance of the dated samples, material used for dating, and 14C
dating method. After the application of different filtering procedures based on outlier detection techniques,
the database was subsequently reduced (n = 77). Using uncalibrated and calibrated dates, some
spatial and temporal trends in data distribution were investigated in order to illustrate both the strengths
and weaknesses of the available database. It is concluded that three main features that characterize the
14C dataset from Northwest South America, namely the very high percentage of 14C measurements made
on charcoal, the almost total disregard of bone as a target sample for dating, and the extremely low
percentage of AMS dates, partially affect both its reliability and comparability. It is suggested that, in
order to use 14C dates as data to make reliable inferences about the timing, pattern, process and tempo of
early exploration and colonization of the study area, work at two different levels would be profitably
carried out. In the short term, it would be advisable to develop an extensive and exhaustive program
aimed at redating, with AMS and new sample selection criteria, the more significant archaeological
assemblages attributable to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. In the medium to long term, it would be
necessary to implement new research projects specifically aimed at obtaining original information about
early human settlement in different geographical areas of the Colombian territory.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A partir de los orígenes de la antropología física (biológica), las tendencias en su designación y en sus contenidos, se propone que el término bioantropología tenga un significado más amplio que resalte su perfil interdisciplinar y el... more
A partir de los orígenes de la antropología física (biológica), las tendencias en su designación y en sus contenidos, se propone que el término bioantropología tenga un significado más amplio que resalte su perfil interdisciplinar y el uso de métodos mixtos de investigación. Para ilustrar el desarrollo de dichas tendencias en Colombia, se muestra el estudio de caso de la disciplina en la Universidad del Cauca, sus inicios y las dinámicas de la docencia y la investigación bioantropológica. Se parte de los programas académicos desde 1973, entrevistas en profundidad con profesores
y algunos elementos de la autoetnografía de Elizabeth Tabares. También se hace énfasis en el enfoque de la antropología biomédica de las poblaciones del Pacífico colombiano desarrollado en la Universidad del Cauca.
y algunos elementos de la autoetnografía de Elizabeth Tabares. También se hace énfasis en el enfoque de la antropología biomédica de las poblaciones del Pacífico colombiano desarrollado en la Universidad del Cauca.
Research Interests:
Se presenta un estudio de la variación craneofacial en muestras del noroccidente de Suramérica, distribuidas ampliamente en un sentido espacial y temporal, con el objetivo de proponer hipótesis sobre el poblamiento inicial. Se llevaron a... more
Se presenta un estudio de la variación craneofacial en muestras del noroccidente de Suramérica, distribuidas ampliamente en un sentido espacial y temporal, con el objetivo de proponer hipótesis sobre el poblamiento inicial. Se llevaron a cabo diferentes análisis (matriz-R, correlación de matrices y morfometría geométrica) para estudiar la historia y la estructura poblacional a nivel regional. Los resultados sugieren una alta diversidad morfológica, así como la existencia de patrones de estructuración espacial y temporal; también indican que ciertos eventos poblacionales y la acción de fuerzas evolutivas afectaron notablemente la diversidad craneofacial a través del tiempo. A partir de la comparación de distintos tipos de evidencia se propone un modelo sobre la forma y el tiempo del poblamiento temprano de la región y la subsecuente evolución poblacional a lo largo del Holoceno.
Research Interests: Human Evolution, The peopling of the Americas, South American Archaeology, Paleoenvironments, Peopling of America, and 7 moreEvolutionary Geography, Radiocarbon Chronology, Northwest South America, Modern human expansion, Human Craniofacial Variation, Geometric Morphometrics, Early Hunter gatherers, and Pleistocene/Holocene Transition
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The North Andean region represents a key area for the study of the initial peopling of South America, given that the most likely routes of colonization go through its territory. Despite this fact few attempts to address this issue were... more
The North Andean region represents a key area for the study of the initial peopling of South America, given that the most likely routes of colonization go through its territory. Despite this fact few attempts to address this issue were performed using large skeletal samples from Colombia (Neves and Pucciarelli 1991; Rodríguez 2007; Neves et al. 2007; Pucciarelli et al. 2010). Two models for the early settlement of the study region have been advanced on the basis of the analysis of patterns of cranial-morphological diversity. The first one, states that the present and past Colombian Amerinds are biologically homogeneous and that the existing diversity is product of both one single migratory wave and in situ microevolution (Rodríguez 2007). The second one, in agreement with the most frequent version of the dual origin model (Neves and Pucciarelli 1991), proposes that the South American Amerinds, including the Colombians, must be viewed as a highly variable set of populations with at least two well differentiated craniofacial patterns, the morphologically specialized Amerindian and the morphologically more generalized Paleoamerican. In fact, Neves et al (2007) suggested that the Paleoamericans survived in the Sabana de Bogotá until the Late Holocene, when they were replaced by Amerindian populations. The aim of this study is from an exploratory approach, to assess the degree to which the dental and craniofacial diversity found in prehispanic samples from Northwestern South America (Colombia) fits into one of the aforementioned models.
Research Interests:
The northwestern corner of South America, represented by the current territory of Colombia, is a key region to asses some relevant issues linked with the initial human peopling of the area, including population dispersals, cultural... more
The northwestern corner of South America, represented by the current territory of Colombia, is a key region to asses some relevant issues linked with the initial human peopling of the area, including population dispersals, cultural diversity, and early adaptations to the changing environmental conditions experienced by lowland and highland north-Andean Neotropical ecosystems at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. The aim of this paper is to present a synthesis of the archaeological research about early peopling carried out in northwest South America during the last four decades. Specifically, it will focus on the adaptive strategies and the cultural diversity patterns exhibited by the early hunter-gatherer groups that entered the region since late Pleistocene times. The classic ideas about the time of arrival of the first settlers, the dispersal routes, the incidence of the climate change in on the rate of dispersal and colonization of different habitats, and the role of the megafauna in the subsistence will be reviewed, prior to the formulation of new hypotheses about the meaning of the apparent intraregional diversity of the archaeological record and the evolution of economic strategies over time.
Research Interests:
The aim of this paper is to make a critical appraisal of the available 14C dataset from Northwest South America (Colombia) corresponding to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition (ca. 12,000-8000 14C years BP). The first step in the study... more
The aim of this paper is to make a critical appraisal of the available 14C dataset from Northwest South America (Colombia) corresponding to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition (ca. 12,000-8000 14C years BP). The first step in the study was to assemble from both published and unpublished sources an exhaustive database of 14C dates (n= 68), recording data regarding the environmental setting and spatial coordinates of each site, stratigraphic provenance of the dated samples, material used for dating, and 14C dating method. After the application of different filtering procedures based on outlier detection techniques, the database was subsequently reduced (n= 59). Using uncalibrated and calibrated dates, some spatial and temporal trends in data distribution were investigated in order to illustrate both the strengths and weaknesses of the available database. It is concluded that three main features that characterize the 14C dataset from Northwest South America, namely the very high percentage of 14C measurements made on charcoal, the almost total disregard of bone as a target sample for dating, and the extremely low percentage of AMS dates, partially affect both its reliability and comparability. It is suggested that, in order to use 14C dates as data to make reliable inferences about the timing, pattern, process and tempo of early exploration and colonization of the study area, work at two different levels would be profitably carried out. In the short term, it would be advisable to develop an extensive and exhaustive program aimed at redating—with AMS and new sample selection criteria—the more significant archaeological assemblages attributable to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. In the medium to long term it would be necessary to implement new research projects specifically aimed at obtaining original information about early human settlement in different geographical areas of the Colombian territory.
Research Interests:
XVII Congreso Nacional de Arqueologia Argentina. Arqueología Argentina en el Bicentenario de la Revolución de Mayo. JR Barcena y H Chiavazza (editores). 2010. Tomo III. Páginas 1097-1102.
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Contemporary variation in skin pigmentation is the result of hundreds of thousands years of human evolution in new and changing environments. Previous studies have identified several genes involved in skin pigmentation differences among... more
Contemporary variation in skin pigmentation is the result of hundreds of thousands years of human evolution in new and changing environments. Previous studies have identified several genes involved in skin pigmentation differences among African, Asian, and European populations. However, none have examined skin pigmentation variation among Indigenous American populations, creating a critical gap in our understanding of skin pigmentation variation. This study investigates signatures of selection at 76 pigmentation candidate genes that may contribute to skin pigmentation differences between Indigenous Americans and Europeans. Analysis was performed on two samples of Indigenous Americans genotyped on genome-wide SNP arrays. Using four tests for natural selection—locus-specific branch length (LSBL), ratio of heterozygosities (lnRH), Tajima’s D difference, and extended haplotype homozygosity (EHH)—we identified 14 selection-nominated candidate genes (SNCGs). SNPs in each of the SNCGs were tested for association with skin pigmentation in 515 admixed Indigenous American and European individuals from regions of the Americas with high ground-level ultraviolet radiation. In addition to SLC24A5 and SLC45A2, genes previously associated with European/non-European differences in skin pigmentation, OPRM1 and EGFR were associated with variation in skin pigmentation in New World populations for the first time.
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The human history of the Sabana de Bogotá (SB) in Northern South America has been interpreted both as a continuous process of biocultural evolution and as a process of population discontinuities. Both hypotheses were evaluated on the... more
The human history of the Sabana de Bogotá (SB) in Northern South America has been interpreted both as a continuous process of biocultural evolution and as a process of population discontinuities. Both hypotheses were evaluated on the basis of craniofacial morphology and radiocarbon evidence within a paleoenvironmental framework. The results suggest that the craniofacial morphology changed significantly over time. The investigation of the available radiocarbon database shows that there are hiatuses throughout the Holocene with a major gap between 4700 and 4100 14C BP, which is coincident with strong paleoenvironmental shifts. According to these results, a Population Discontinuity Model is presented which states that during the mid-Holocene (ca. 6000–3800 14C BP) population events as contraction/extinction and/or expansion/dispersals processes influenced by paleoenvironmental changes, promoted the almost complete depopulation of the SB, subsequently allowing the arrival of new hunter-gatherer populations from the Middle Magdalena Valley. Between ca. 2000–1500 14C BP, population expansions of agricultural societies from the east-northeast and/or from the Middle Magdalena Valley penetrated the SB and replaced the Herrera populations. The discontinuity scenario presented is compatible with the concepts of human biogeography and evolutionary geography.
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
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The Atlantic slave trade moved more than 13 million Africans to American lands between the 15th and 19th centuries. Previous historical, linguistic, and social-cultural studies suggested a Western-Central Bantu African origin for the... more
The Atlantic slave trade moved more than 13 million Africans to American lands between the 15th and 19th centuries. Previous historical, linguistic, and social-cultural studies suggested a Western-Central Bantu African origin for the Colombian slaves; however, their precise provenance remains unclear. The present study investigates the variation of the epigenetic dental traits in the deciduous and permanent dentition and phenotypic affinities of a contemporary Afro-Colombian community (n=178) in an attempt to identify their possible African ancestors. The results of a multivariate analysis of principal components show that Afro-descendents from Guapi have strong phenotypic relationships with several Bantu-speakers groups of Western and Western-Central Africa (Sub-Saharan region), specifically from Gabon, Congo, Pygmies, Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo and Benin. In concordance with recent mtDNA studies, this research suggests a distant but important relationship between Afro-Colombians and Eastern and South-Eastern African populations. This analysis also shows a marked dental divergence with North African samples. The dental information is not very different from the cultural, linguistic and historic data; however, it is more in agreement with studies based on molecular variation. In addition, this study reveals that African-Americans from North America, Central America-Caribbean and South America have high biological variation essentially identical to their several Sub-Saharan sources. Although a microevolutionary model, based on differential rates of gene flow with Native American and European-American groups and little selective pressures influence, better explains the phenotypic variation observed, more African-American dental samples must be analyzed from a regional perspective.
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Research Interests:
The Uto-Aztecan premolar (UAP) is a dental polymorphism characterized by an exaggerated distobuccal rotation of the paracone in combination with the presence of a fossa at the intersection of the distal occlusal ridge and distal marginal... more
The Uto-Aztecan premolar (UAP) is a dental polymorphism characterized by an exaggerated distobuccal rotation of the paracone in combination with the presence of a fossa at the intersection of the distal occlusal ridge and distal marginal ridge of upper first premolars. This trait is important because, unlike other dental variants, it has been found exclusively in Native American populations. However, the trait's temporal and geographic variation has never been fully documented. The discovery of a Uto-Aztecan premolar in a prehistoric skeletal series from northern South America calls into question the presumed linguistic and geographic limits of this trait. We examined published and unpublished data for this rare but highly distinctive trait in samples representing over 5,000 Native Americans from North and South America. Our findings in living Southwest Amerindian populations corroborate the notion that the variable goes beyond the bounds of the Uto-Aztecan language family. It is found in prehistoric Native Americans from South America, eastern North America, Northern and Central Mexico, and in living and prehistoric populations in the American Southwest that are not members of the Uto-Aztecan language stock. The chronology of samples, its geographic distribution, and trait frequencies suggests a North American origin (Southwest) for UAP perhaps between 15,000 BP and 4,000 BP and a rapid and widespread dispersal into South America during the late Holocene. Family data indicate that it may represent an autosomal recessive mutation that occurred after the peopling of the Americas as its geographic range appears to be limited to North and South Amerindian populations. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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Research Interests:
Los cambios en el clima y en la vegetación ocurridos durante la transición Pleistoceno/Holoceno (ca. 12-8 años 14C AP) afectaron - a las comunidades ecológicas americanas, por lo que cualquier modelo que pretenda explicar la dispersión... more
Los cambios en el clima y en la vegetación ocurridos durante la transición Pleistoceno/Holoceno (ca. 12-8 años 14C AP) afectaron - a las comunidades ecológicas americanas, por lo que cualquier modelo que pretenda explicar la dispersión de los humanos a escala continental debe incorporar dicha evidencia. En el Norte de Sur América, los cambios paleoecológicos han sido estudiados mediante el uso de diferentes metodologías. Si bien se han efectuado algunos esfuerzos por correlacionar los registros paleoclimático y arqueológico para discernir aspectos vinculados con el poblamiento humano inicial del área, éstos poseen una resolución cronológica y espacial de grano grueso. En el presente trabajo se presenta una revisión detallada de los estudios paleoecológicos desarrollados en la región, así como de la evidencia arqueológica y cronológica disponible, teniendo en cuenta la resolución de los datos y su amplitud geográfica, con el objeto de proponer escenarios sobre la diversidad paleoambiental durante el primer poblamiento humano del Noroccidente de América del Sur. También se discutirán las implicaciones del presente estudio para futuros modelos que pretendan evaluar la dispersión inicial de los humanos en la región de estudio y en el subcontinente en general.
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This study will use elemental and isotopic analysis of human skeletal remains from the pre-contact period of the Muisca culture settlement at Tibanica, in Colombia, to test for dietary practices and mobility of these people. It will be... more
This study will use elemental and isotopic analysis of human skeletal remains from the pre-contact period of the Muisca culture settlement at Tibanica, in Colombia, to test for dietary practices and mobility of these people. It will be the first such study done in Colombia, and will complement studies done in Panama and Ecuador, especially regarding the spread and importance of maize. The analyses will be done on human bone samples from 30 high status and 30 low status individuals, to test for differences in their diets. The project is under the direction of Dr. Robert Tykot at the University of South Florida, who will serve as my advisor in the Honors Anthropology program. All the samples are from the archaeological site associated with a Muisca settlement named Tibanica in the Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia. The project director is Migual Eduardo Delgado-Burbano, from the National University of La Plata, Argentina, who provided the human samples that were buried with and without grave offerings. He also provided seven archaeological faunal bone samples to analyze as local references. The first step of the research will consist of the non-destructive X-ray fluorescence analysis of Ca, Sr, Ba and other elements in the bone. This analysis will provide insight into the locality and trophic level of the dietary resources used by these individuals, with potential differences within this society. Isotope analysis of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen will be used to quantitatively measure the importance of maize in the diet, along with the importance of animals. Bone collagen isotope analysis on both the human and faunal remains will provide information mainly about the protein part of the individuals’ diet, while bone apatite analysis data will equally represent protein, carbohydrates, and fats. The bone apatite analysis will be most relevant for studying dietary maize variation within the Muisca society and will be crucial for providing data to answer questions about the overall importance of agriculture, and potential differences in diet between high and low status individuals. Evidence for status differences have been found for the Maya in Mesoamerica, and the Inca and pre-Inca people of South America. The results from this research will help to form the anthropological framework for understanding the significance of maize in ancient diets in an area of Latin America not previously studied. By performing the first isotopic and elemental study on Muisca remains, the results and data collected from this research will add to the overall knowledge base of human history and behavior.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The aim of this paper is to make a critical appraisal of the available 14C dataset from Northwest South America (Colombia) corresponding to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition (ca. 12,000e8000 14C years BP). The first step in the study... more
The aim of this paper is to make a critical appraisal of the available 14C dataset from Northwest South
America (Colombia) corresponding to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition (ca. 12,000e8000 14C years
BP). The first step in the study was to assemble from both published and unpublished sources an
exhaustive database of 14C dates (n ¼ 85), recording data regarding the environmental setting and spatial
coordinates of each site, stratigraphic provenance of the dated samples, material used for dating, and 14C
dating method. After the application of different filtering procedures based on outlier detection techniques,
the database was subsequently reduced (n ¼ 77). Using uncalibrated and calibrated dates, some
spatial and temporal trends in data distribution were investigated in order to illustrate both the strengths
and weaknesses of the available database. It is concluded that three main features that characterize the
14C dataset from Northwest South America, namely the very high percentage of 14C measurements made
on charcoal, the almost total disregard of bone as a target sample for dating, and the extremely low
percentage of AMS dates, partially affect both its reliability and comparability. It is suggested that, in
order to use 14C dates as data to make reliable inferences about the timing, pattern, process and tempo of
early exploration and colonization of the study area, work at two different levels would be profitably
carried out. In the short term, it would be advisable to develop an extensive and exhaustive program
aimed at redating, with AMS and new sample selection criteria, the more significant archaeological
assemblages attributable to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. In the medium to long term, it would be
necessary to implement new research projects specifically aimed at obtaining original information about
early human settlement in different geographical areas of the Colombian territory.
America (Colombia) corresponding to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition (ca. 12,000e8000 14C years
BP). The first step in the study was to assemble from both published and unpublished sources an
exhaustive database of 14C dates (n ¼ 85), recording data regarding the environmental setting and spatial
coordinates of each site, stratigraphic provenance of the dated samples, material used for dating, and 14C
dating method. After the application of different filtering procedures based on outlier detection techniques,
the database was subsequently reduced (n ¼ 77). Using uncalibrated and calibrated dates, some
spatial and temporal trends in data distribution were investigated in order to illustrate both the strengths
and weaknesses of the available database. It is concluded that three main features that characterize the
14C dataset from Northwest South America, namely the very high percentage of 14C measurements made
on charcoal, the almost total disregard of bone as a target sample for dating, and the extremely low
percentage of AMS dates, partially affect both its reliability and comparability. It is suggested that, in
order to use 14C dates as data to make reliable inferences about the timing, pattern, process and tempo of
early exploration and colonization of the study area, work at two different levels would be profitably
carried out. In the short term, it would be advisable to develop an extensive and exhaustive program
aimed at redating, with AMS and new sample selection criteria, the more significant archaeological
assemblages attributable to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. In the medium to long term, it would be
necessary to implement new research projects specifically aimed at obtaining original information about
early human settlement in different geographical areas of the Colombian territory.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Anthropology, Human Evolution, Stable Isotope Analysis, and 8 moreCraniofacial Morphology, Geometric Morphometrics, Dental Anthropology, Hunter-Gatherers (Anthropology), Hunter-Gatherer Archaeology, The peopling of the Americas, South America, and initial settlement of South America
The taxonomic status of isolated hominoid teeth from Asian Pleistocene deposits has long been controversial due to the morpho-metrical similarities between Homo and Pongo molars. Here we report a variant observed on the internal surface... more
The taxonomic status of isolated hominoid teeth from Asian Pleistocene deposits has long been controversial due to the morpho-metrical similarities between Homo and Pongo molars. Here we report a variant observed on the internal surface of the mesial marginal ridge of the upper molars that appears to be taxonomically informative. The presence of mesial marginal accessory tu-bercles has been previously reported in humans and other primates. However, until now, it has never been systematically studied across a taxonomically diverse sample of hominoids. Micro-computed tomography was used to examine the enamel-dentine junction of 442 hominoid upper molars, including Australopithecus (n=55), Paranthropus (n=42), Homo habilis s.l. (n=7), H. erectus s.l. (n=7), H. neanderthalensis (n=52), H. sapiens (n=93), Pan (n=67), Gorilla (n=19), recent Pongo (n=30) from both Borneo and Sumatra, and Pleistocene Pongo from Vietnam (n=45) and China (n=25). Only specimens of definite taxonomic attribution were included in this study. We used 3D geometric morphometric techniques to evaluate shape and size differences of the mesial marginal ridge between the paracone and protocone. We also examined the manifestation of the protoconule, a mesial marginal accessory tubercle located on the mesial portion of the protocone. The results of the multivariate analyses performed for M1, M2 and M3 separately and combined show that Pleistocene and recent Pongo cluster together and are clearly differentiated from all species of Homo, Australopithecus, Paranthropus, Pan and Gorilla. The mesial marginal ridge of Pongo is semi-circular shaped with a wide anteroposterior central diameter and encompasses a low-cusped configuration with internally placed mesial cusps, whereas that of Homo has a crescent-like shape, with tall and more externally located cusps. While shape changes of the mesial marginal ridge for each molar type along the morphospace in both Principal Component Analysis and Canonical Variate Analysis reveal important taxonomic differences, changes in M3 suggest greater diversity among hominoid species compared to M1 and M2. For all molars combined, our results also indicate that the protoconule is present in 80% and 87% of the Pleistocene and recent Pongo individuals, respectively. In contrast, the protoconule is absent or occurs in low frequencies in hominins and African great apes (0%-25%, with the greatest frequency seen in A. afarensis). The Fisher's exact tests indicate that frequencies of protoconule expression in Pleistocene and recent Pongo are significantly different to all other hominoids examined. Differences within the Homininae, on the other hand, are in most cases non-significant. Our combined approach incorporating dental non-metric and geometric morpho-metric data demonstrates the discriminatory power of the internal surface of the mesial marginal ridge for distinguishing between isolated upper molar teeth of Ponginae and Homininae. By identifying this new feature on the protocone, whose presence in Pongo is independent of tooth size and serial position, our results can provide some resolution to the taxonomic ambiguities of several Asian hominoid dental remains and contribute to the better understanding of hominoid biogeography during the Pleistocene.