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Archaeological Evidence of Rodent Consumption in Central Chile

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Javier A. Simonetti  and
Luis E. Cornejo
Javier A. Simonetti
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile
Luis E. Cornejo
Affiliation:
Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino, Casilla 3687, Santiago, Chile
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Abstract

We analyzed the remains of small mammals from two rockshelters in the pre-Andean mountains of central Chile. A significant fraction of the remains exhibited evidence of burning. Burned remains were present from 4460 to 1520 B.P. and belong to rodent species of large body size and weight that are either diurnal or colonial. We suggest that rodents were a constant food item for humans in central Chile, and that rodent species were selected based on body size and conspicuousness.

Nosotros analizamos los restos de pequeños mamíferos de dos abrigos rocosos de la precordillera de Chile central. Una fracción significativa de los restos presenta evidencias de haber sido expuestos al fuego. Restos quemados se encontraron desde 4460 a 1520 A.P., y pertenecen a especies de micromamíferos de talla grande, diurnos y/o coloniales. Nosotros sugerimos que los roedores fueron un elemento alimenticio frecuente para los pobladores de Chile central, y que las especies consumidas eran seleccionadas en base a su tamaño corporal y facilidad de detección.

Type
Report
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 2 , Issue 1 , March 1991 , pp. 92 - 96
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1991

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