Utilización de reptiles durante el periodo Agroalfarero de la región Chaco-Santiagueña, Argentina

A new study reveals that reptiles played a significant but understudied role in the diets of ancient inhabitants of the Chaco-Santiagueña region in northwestern Argentina during the Agroalfarero period (350 AD to Spanish conquest). Analysis of tortoise, snake, and lizard remains from archaeological sites indicates anthropic use, such as burning for tortoises and cut marks on Tupinambis bones, suggesting these reptiles were consumed seasonally. While evidence is limited—tortoises show body part representations and burned bones, while snakes provide only indirect thermal alteration clues—Tupinambis consumption is more clearly documented through disarticulation and skinning marks. Reptiles contributed minimally (0.5–8% NISP) but complementarily to the diet, highlighting a previously overlooked resource in zooarchaeological studies of this region.

Del Papa, L. M. (2015). Utilización de reptiles durante el periodo Agroalfarero de la región Chaco-Santiagueña, Argentina. Archaeofauna, (24), 7–26. https://doi.org/10.15366/archaeofauna2015.24.001