Formative Adaptations, Diet, and Oral Health in the Azapa Valley of Northwest Chile

Abstract

Indicators of oral health were recorded in a sample of 200 Formative period (1500 B.C.–A.D. 500) skeletons from archaeological sites located in the Lower Azapa Valley of northwest Chile. This period represents a major shift in subsistence strategies in the Atacama Desert, as coastal groups adopted agriculture and moved deeper into the valley. Frequencies of caries and antemortem tooth loss were compared between site locations (coast vs. valley) and by archaeological phase (early vs. late) to interpret the degree to which these incipient agriculturalists were reliant on domesticated resources. Overall, frequencies of caries (11.9 percent) and tooth loss (11.6 percent) are somewhat higher than for other prehistoric groups practicing a mixed subsistence strategy. However, residents of the interior valley exhibited significantly more dental decay and tooth loss than those along the coast. Our results identify that although the Formative period residents of the Lower Azapa Valley practiced a mixed subsistence strategy, the degree of reliance on agricultural production differed between the coast and the valley. We propose that these differential patterns in oral health are tied to local investment, adaptive cycles, and niche construction.

Skeletal Stress Markers and Subsistence Strategy in Prehistoric Chilean Populations of the Semi-Arid North

“…The results obtained here appear to fit a model that involves decreased physiological stress for groups subsisting on marine resources. This result is not a novel one, as several studies have demonstrated low frequencies of skeletal stress markers with coastal habitation and subsistence in prehistory worldwide (Benfer 1990 for Peru;Tayles et al 2000 for Southeast Asia;Alfonso et al 2007and Watson et al 2010 for northern Chile; Gómez and Novellino 2011 for Argentina; and Temple 2010 for Japan).…”

“…Factors such as water contamination and overreliance on one specific food are important to understand but have yet to be fully teased out. However, the current picture suggests that when coastal populations are compared en masse to terrestrial ones, coastal populations seem to fare better in a variety of different measurements, e.g., caries rates, stature, cribra orbitalia, and linear enamel hypoplasia (Alfonso et al 2007;Benfer 1990;DiGangi 2008;Watson et al 2010). This emphasizes the role that coastal environments, in concert with cultural adaptations, play in buffering physiological stress.…”

“…Monocrop diets and those limited in variety, which are often associated with intensive agriculture, have received a substantial amount of attention due to their impacts on overall nutrition and immune function (Buikstra 1992;Cohen 1989;Larsen 1995;Scrimshaw et al 1968). Mixed subsistence strategies, and the incorporation of marine resources in particular, have been suggested and demonstrated to be a means of buffering the physiological impact of agricultural transitions in both prehistoric and modern contexts (Gómez and Novellino 2011;Tucker et al 2010;Watson et al 2010).…”

“…Further, Watson et al (2013) note that along the Andean coast, early attempts at agricultural food production were associated with an increase in reliance on marine foraging. Studies of oral health in northern Chile demonstrate that relative contributions of marine and agricultural resources vary by site, with a heavier reliance on agriculture associated with distance from the coast and increased frequency of caries and tooth loss (Watson et al 2010). It becomes clear that local environmental and cultural adaptations, including implementation of mixed subsistence strategies, play a significant role in the resulting "health" of a population.…”

Estudio isotópico del consumo de recursos marítimos y terrestres en la prehistoria del desierto de Atacama

“…Por su parte los estudios de almidones en sarro dental de varios grupos tardíos de Arica y Camarones (PLM-4, Az-8 y Cam-9) reflejan un consumo de diversas especies vegetales (maíz y poroto, entre otros) en concordancia con las plantas ofrendadas en las tumbas (Arriaza et al 2017). Las patologías bucales (caries y pérdida de piezas dentales) también se incrementan con el desarrollo e intensificación de la agricultura, producto del consumo de maíz y otros vegetales (Alfonso et al 2007;Watson et al 2010Watson et al , 2013. Entonces también cabe preguntarse ¿cómo se comparan estos datos cualitativos con los análisis químicos que permiten una cuantificación más directa de los vegetales consumidos?…”