Paleodietary and mobility studies in hunter-gatherer groups from ro pinturas basin, santa cruz, argentina

The aim of this essay is to evaluate the usefulness of stable isotope analysis in human remains for addressing mobility and diet in hunter-gatherers in the Pinturas river area. For this purpose, stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen in collagen and bioapatite were analyzed in five individuals from the basin. All individuals presented similar values for all the isotopic ratios considered, with the exception of individual 3 from the Puesto El Rodeo site. Available frames of reference for the delta 15N region such as delta 18O have proven useful to identify ecological-climatic differences on an east-west axis in the region. On this basis, it is suggested that individual 3 from Puesto El Rodeo would correspond to a non-local individual from the area to the west of the basin, while the rest of the individuals analyzed present values associated with the steppe area of central-western Patagonia.