Fish remains from the Formative Period (1000 BC-AD 400) of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia: Zooarchaeology and taphonomy

José M. Capriles, Alejandra I. Domic, Katherine M. Moore

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper presents a detailed zooarchaeological study of fish remains from the site of Kala Uyuni, Bolivia. The fish remains of 31 flotation samples from different archaeological contexts and dated to the Formative Period (1000 BC-AD 400) are described in terms of frequency, weight, taxa distribution, sizes, skeletal representations, and exposure to heat. The results confirm the importance of fish in the diet of the inhabitants of the site and provide insights about the particularities of their exploitation, consumption, and differential discard across the site throughout time. A strong decline in the procurement and consumption of fish is observed for the Late Formative which seems to be a consequence of both environmental and social processes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)115-126
Number of pages12
JournalQuaternary International
Volume180
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2008

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Earth-Surface Processes

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