Plant consumption in Áspero, Peru, during the Initial Formative Period (3000-1800 BCE): New evidence from starch grain trapped in human dental calculus.

Abstract

The objective of this research is to determine the dietary relevance of the plants consumed by the inhabitants of Aspero, an urban center on the coast of the Supe Valley, Peru. For this purpose, starch grains trapped in the human dental calculus of eleven individuals were recovered. Additionally, the results of one individual recovered from the Sacred City of Caral, located in the interior of Supe Valley, are presented. The high number of starch grains recovered from sweet potato and squash possibly indicates a frequent consumption of these starchy plant foods by the inhabitants of Áspero. These results are consistent with previously published isotopic analyses indicating that C3 plants were an important part of the diet of the Áspero inhabitants. Although our results indicate that there was maize consumption at Áspero and Sacred City of Caral, our results and previous isotopic analyses performed on the same individuals, show that maize was not fundamental in the diet of the origins of the civilization. Finally, based on the damage patterns in starch grains, we report the first direct evidence of possible maize fermentation during the Initial Formative Period. Considering the economic and ritual importance of fermented beverage consumption in the ethnohistoric and archaeological record of later periods, this finding could have critical implications for understanding the process of social complexity in the region.

The role of farming and fishing in the rise of social complexity in the Central Andes: a stable isotope perspective

“…3 ). Although macro- and micro-botanical remains (phytoliths, starches, and pollen) from Fortaleza, Pativilca, and Supe valleys dated between 2900 and 2100 BCE, confirm maize consumption during the Initial Formative 6 , 25 , 26 , isotopic analyses suggest that its consumption was limited and sporadic, with Formative sites instead showing a reliance on C 3 plants. For instance, Caral individuals during the Initial Formative showed dietary calorie contributions of 62% C 3 plants and less than 7% maize, while diets from Áspero and Bandurria 30 , 68 , two early settlements with monumental architecture located on the shoreline, had contributions of 50–60% C 3 plants.…”

“…In addition, this study uncovered some complicating factors that may have affected the overall data interpretations: 1) information to asses bone collagen preservation according to established collagen quality criteria 62 , 63 were not always available in the surveyed literature; 2) several ancient Andean populations have poor collagen preservation, thus not providing sufficient bone collagen for dating or isotopic analyses, and considerable temporal and regional gaps were observed in the sampled isotope data; 3) the sites contained different numbers of human individuals, which may impact the observed variability; 4) some sites lack information on faunal and botanical remains, and the data preclude the construction of local isotope baselines therefore limiting the possibility of obtaining refined dietary estimates; 5) most of studies from the past three decades included in this research did not have access to the methods currently used for analyzing bioapatite integrity (i.e., Raman spectroscopy and FTIR) 83 , thus, enamel and bioapatite diagenesis cannot be estimated, additionally, there is a potential issue with the interlaboratory variation of δ 13 C ap analysis 91 ; 7) despite the accuracy of the methods employed, we should consider isotopic equifinality, that is, varying combinations of food contributions that may result in the same consumer isotopic values; finally, 8) isotopic markers are unable to differentiate cultivated from non-cultivated plants, which is central in this discussion, however, based on available references 2 , 4 , 7 , 10 , 12 , 26 , we can assume, that most plants behind the isotopic values observed in this study were domesticated crops.…”

“…At least 35 planned sites integrated into intra-valley hierarchical systems in the North-Central Coast of Peru, with over 200 radiocarbon dates between 4100–1800 BCE, have led archaeologists to rethink the origins of urbanization processes and re-examine the chronology of the Central Andes as a whole 1 , 23 . Additionally, evidence of macro- and micro-botanical remains shows that coastal economies were more diverse and richer in domesticated plants than previously considered 24 – 26 . Even in models that minimize material factors as “triggers” of social stratification and emphasize behavioral causes, such as power accumulation strategies and manipulation of belief systems, the existence of subsistence systems able to support increasing populations in sedentary settlements would have played a critical role 27 , 28 .…”

“…In addition, the paths of the agricultural intensification of certain plants and their role in sustaining dense populations and social structures during different stages of the process is still in discussion 26 , 30 , 36 . Among these, maize ( Zea mays ) is of particular interest.…”