Deformación Intencional Del Cráneo en Poblaciones Arqueológicas De Arica, Chile: Análisis Preliminar De Morfometréa Geométrica Con Uso De Radiografías Craneofaciales

Abstract

La deformación intencional craneana tiene como consecuencia la alteración permanente de los atributos anatómicos externos del cráneo humano. Entre las poblaciones prehispánicas del extremo norte de Chile esta práctica se extendió por un lapso de cinco mil años. En algunos casos, la presencia en el cráneo de restos bioculturales impide la aplicación de las técnicas morfométricas normalmente utilizadas en cráneo seco. Con el fin de superar esta limitación y conocer el patrón de variación de la forma craneana de muestras representativas de las poblaciones prehispánicas de Arica, se obtuvieron radiografías laterales que fueron analizadas mediante morfometría geométrica. Los resultados del presente trabajo muestran que: (1) la variación de los componentes de la forma craneana depende de la magnitud y dirección con que se aplicaron y orientaron originalmente los aparatos deformadores sobre los ejes anatómicos mayores del cráneo, (2) la deformación intencional involucra a los hitos anatómicos del neurocráneo y de la cara y (3) el tipo de la deformación intencional sería independiente del período cronológico durante el cual se llevó a cabo esta práctica, sugiriendo la ocurrencia de una continuidad morfológica entre las poblaciones arqueológicas de la costa y valles de Arica. Se discuten las consecuencias de esta discrepancia con los resultados obtenidos al aplicar morfometría convencional, se constata la importancia del uso de las técnicas radiográficas y la morfometría geométrica para comprender las consecuencias morfológicas de la deformación intencional del cráneo, y se discuten las eventuales aplicaciones clínicas de este enfoque morfométrico en poblaciones actuales. Palabras claves: deformación intencional, Arica-Chile, morfometría geométrica, radiografía craneofacial. Intentional cranial deformation is a long lasting and worldwide form of permanent modification of the main human head distinctive anatomical attributes. In northern Chile it was extensively done during five thousand years by populations which inhabited the Coast and Valleys from Arica. In spite of the importance that the study of this practice has had in anthropological research, biocultural remains such as hear, mould and textils preclude the morphometric analyses commonly performed onto the clean skull. In order to avoid these limitations and to know the pattern of skull shape variation, geometric morphometric methods and craneofacial radiographic technics were applied on non deformed and intentionally deformed samples of Arica's archaeological populations. As a control sample radiographs obtained from modern Chileans were used. Radiographic and geometric morphometric evidences here presented show that: (1) variation of skull shape components of intentionally deformed crania is explained by both the force and the direction of the deforming devices originally applied, (2) intentional deformation affects anatomical landmarks located in the neurocrania as well as the face, (3) there would be a morphological continuity among populations representatives ...

Morphological consequences of artificial cranial deformation: Modularity and integration

“…In the present study artificial cranial deformation (ACD) is used as a proxy for assessing the morphological integration and modularity of the human skull. ACD consists in the modification of the magnitude and direction of the normal vectors of growth and development of the skull, by using compressive forces generated by deforming devices during the early years of post-natal life [47]. It is a cultural practice which modifies the newborn's natural head shape to achieve a certain desired morphology, being since long considered either as an identity symbol and/or social status marker in different populations around the world [48][49][50].…”

Effects of artificial deformation on cranial morphogenesis in the south central Andes

“…A new and promising analysis of the artificial deformation considering the geometrical morphometry, although with only a small sample of radiographic profiles, was developed in materials of Arica from the Archaic, Middle and Late periods, by Manriquez et al . (2006: 29) concluding: ‘(1) the variation of the components of the skull shape depends on the magnitude and direction originally applied and oriented with the deforming devices on the major anatomical axes of the skull and (2) the intentional deformation involves the anatomical milestones of the neuroskull and the face.’ A study with a broader continental scope was performed by Perez (2007), who discusses the usefulness of the traditional typological approach by proposing a new and efficient approach for the analysis of the cranial vault generated by cultural factors using techniques of geometrical morphometry and multivariate analysis. This author comes to the conclusion that the morphologies found in the analysed area (western and southern South America) correspond to the antero‐posterior, lambda and antero‐posterior compression plus superior expansion (Perez, 2007).…”

Antiquity and geographic distribution of cranial modification among the prehistoric groups of Fuego‐Patagonia, Chile

“…Although artificial cranial modification has been identified around the world (see for example Trinkaus, ; Ozbek, ; Logan et al, ; Arnold et al, ; Durband, ; Ayer et al, ; Enchev et al, ; Romero‐Vargas et al, ), this practice was most widespread in South America (Björk and Björk, ; Verano et al, ; Schijman, ; Manríquez et al, ; Torres‐Rouff, ; Nagaoka et al, ). Conquistadors and chroniclers provided the first reports of cranial modification in this region.…”

“…Cranial modification was common in the Central Andean region and neighboring areas such as Northern Patagonia (Björk and Björk, ; Verano et al, ; Cocilovo and Costa‐Junqueira, ; Blom, ; Reycraft, ; Sutter, ; Manríquez et al, ; Berón and Luna, ; Perez et al, ; Nagaoka et al, ). But, the evidence for this practice is limited in Fuego‐Patagonia, a geographic concept that groups Southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego Islands.…”