Lithic resources as a proxy for the social use of territory among hunter-gatherers of Central Chile

This paper presents the results of a study of the composition of lithic raw materials from the contexts of archaeological sites of hunter-gatherers of Central Chile (latitudes 33° to 34.5° S) between 5000 to 1000 years BP. This territory is characterized by a wide distribution of certain coarse and medium-grained lithic raw materials (andesite, basalt and granite), preferably used in low formatted tools, and the specific location of those of fine grain (obsidian and siliceous rocks), suitable for bifacial reduction, only in some localities. In this analysis, 22 sites have been included, each of which presents different proportions of these raw materials in their context, a set that, when analysed in terms of the diversity of each case, generated clear spatial groupings which were ratified by means of a principle component analysis. These groupings of sites are located in direct association with the lithic landscape of different localities within the region, although we propose that the simple cost-benefit explanation would not account for their formation. According to the authors, these groups would be marked by behaviours that can only result from social restrictions on access to certain sources of these raw materials, especially considering that the distances between their location and the position of the different sources in several cases is not too large to be considered a factor in itself. These restrictions could be interpreted as the existence of socially different groups within the study area, a question that is compared with ethnographic data currently available on the size of the territories of different groups of hunter-gatherers and their annual mobility ranges.Se presentan los resultados de un estudio de la composición de materias primas líticas en sitios arqueológicos de cazadores recolectores tardíos de Chile Central (3000 años a.C. a 1000 años d.C.). En base a métodos estadísticos univariados y multivariados se propone que es posible definir la existencia de cuatro distintos grupos de sitios que tendrían marcados énfasis en el acceso a materias primas de grano fino aptas para la talla bifacial. Estos grupos se localizarían en directa asociación al paisaje lítico de distintas localidades dentro de esta región, aunque se propone que la simple explicación de costo beneficio no daría cuenta de la formación de estos grupos, los que están marcados por conductas que solo pueden resultar de restricciones en el acceso a ciertas fuentes. Estas restricciones podrían interpretarse como la existencia de grupos socialmente distintos dentro del área de estudio, cuestión que es comparada con datos etnográficos actualmente disponibles

Gender and age in funerary practices in the Ceramic Periods in Central Chile

The Ceramic Periods in central Chile are a scenario of major changes in mobility and subsistence systems, associated with the incorporation of cultigens as the basis of subsistence. In this paper, we present a study of the funerary contexts of the Ceramic Periods in central Chile in order to assess whether in this scenario, generally considered very significant in the low-scale societies studied here, gender categories were constructed or signified, and how this changed over time. The results of the analysis suggest that gender categorization was not always important in this scenario. Among Llolleo groups, the offerings associated with females and children suggest their relation with production spheres; in Bato groups, on the other hand, age categories seem to be more important. In the Late Intermediate Period, it is the collective aspect that appears to be stressed in the funerary contexts.Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (CONICYT) CONICYT FONDECYT 116051

Late prehispanic pottery of the inland valleys and desert coast of Tarapacá, northern Chile (CA. A.D. 900-1,450): A typological and chronological proposal

Este artículo refiere al material cerámico de poblados arqueológicos de la región de Tarapacá ubicados en las quebradas altas, valles bajos y la costa al este y oeste de la Pampa del Tamarugal. Nuestro objetivo ha sido sistematizar nuestros anteriores estudios y los análisis de otros investigadores acerca de la cerámica de la región para actualizar el conocimiento en torno a la historia cultural y los procesos sociales relacionados con el aún poco conocido complejo Pica Tarapacá del Norte de Chile. Al respecto, proponemos que este complejo cultural se desarrolló durante el período Intermedio Tardío al menos en dos fases, una inicial y otra clásica, las que denominamos fase Tarapacá (ca. 900-1.250 d.C.) y Camiña (ca. 1.250-1.450 d.C.), respectivamente. Se plantea una tradición alfarera local que nació a fines del período Formativo y que luego, en ausencia de influencias estilísticas Tiwanaku, integró elementos nuevos del altiplano meridional, siendo este último el panorama que predominaría en la región a la llegada del Inka. Lo anterior pretende contribuir con mayor evidencia empírica a la discusión acerca de las dinámicas sociales e interacción económica entre las tierras bajas y altas de los Desarrollos Regionales (período Intermedio Tardío) de esta parte de los Andes Centro Sur

The raw material of Aconcagua salmón pottery and its implication on the organization of pottery production

Este trabajo presenta los resultados de una investigación sobre las pastas de la cerámica del tipo Aconcagua Salmón del período Intermedio Tardío de Chile Central (ca. 900-1400 d.C.), así como sobre la naturaleza y distribución de las materias primas para su fabricación en la región. Se estudiaron fragmentos arqueológicos de ocho sitios del valle del río Maipo, se colectaron arcillas de esta zona y se fabricaron ladrillos experimentales para comparar el color y las pastas de las vetas naturales con las de materiales arqueológicos. Los resultados indican que las materias primas proceden por lo general de las inmediaciones de los lugares de manufactura y uso y nos hacen plantear que el sistema de producción cerámico se realizó a escala local

Settlement patterns in the Early Ceramic Period of Central Chile

Publicación ISIEssential to understanding prehispanic settlement systems is the identification of the structure and relationships of archaeological sites within a region. Here we examine the results of a survey program that included the Rancagua basin, Santiago basin and Melipilla valley in Central Chile, in order to make inferences related to the settlement pattern of groups that inhabited this area during the Early Ceramic Period. The data show clusters of sites grouped near water resources, mainly river valleys, and empty spaces that share the same geographical conditions but have no evidence of ancient occupation. We use ethnographic and ethnohistorical evidence to propose that this pattern relates to the social organization of groups, with families as the closest cooperative level, and whose subsistence economy is mainly horticulture

Early ceramist societies on the Santiago basin

Artículo de publicación ISIEn este trabajo presentamos los resultados de las investigaciones realizadas en Chile central sobre el período Alfarero Temprano. Este estudio contempló una prospección de la cuenca de Santiago, la excavación de tres nuevos sitios y el análisis de colecciones recuperadas previamente en la zona. Los análisis fueron llevados a cabo desde una perspectiva integral, aplicando un mismo marco metodológico a todos los materiales estudiados. Además se realizó un programa de fechados que consideró tanto el refechado de sitios como la datación de los nuevos sitios excavados. Los resultados permitieron proponer un primer momento caracterizado por comunidades alfareras iniciales, vigente desde la aparición de la alfarería en la zona hasta ca. 200 d.C. En esta fecha se configuran claramente dos unidades, Llolleo y Bato, que se desarrollan en forma contemporánea hasta alrededor del 1000 d.C., ocupando este espacio de manera interdigitada. Estas unidades no sólo se diferencian a partir de sus expresiones materiales y tradiciones tecnológicas, sino también representan una orientación económica y una ideología distintas. Junto a estas dos unidades, los resultados permitieron esbozar la presencia de al menos otras dos (Chacayes y EMI/RML001), que no obstante, por la escasez de datos, no pudieron ser bien definidas

Stable Isotopes and Archaeology in Central Chile: Methodological Insights and Interpretative Problems for Dietary Reconstruction

This paper discusses the problems faced when making interpretations of human stable isotope values due to the various explanatory alternatives that arise when reading archaeological data. These interpretative issues are analysed and discussed using the isotopic results for approximately 100 human individuals from archaeological contexts spanning from 5000 BC to 1540 AD in central Chile, supported by data for more than 50 plant and animal samples to establish a local C3 and C4 baseline. A number of assumptions are frequently used to establish the bridge between isotopic results in human tissues and their corresponding diets. The problem is that different assumptions lead to different dietary reconstructions. Past feeding experiments on herbivores, pigs, rats and mice give different results, so we need to be cautious when applying these models to human isotope data. One specific problem concerns estimates of % C4 from collagen and apatite data, a very important issue when looking for evidence of maize in archaeological contexts, which was one of the major objectives we had in the isotopic analyses of archaeological specimens in central Chile. We conclude that the opportunity for estimating the actual percentage of C4 foods in human diets is limited, since a specific apatite fractionation value for humans cannot be experimentally determined, while maize consumption is underrepresented in bone collagen. This may be addressed in our study by sampling more specimens of wild gramineae to establish baseline plant values, more humans that could have had a low maize intake, and more Archaic period individuals when there was certainly no maize in the region

Angiotensin II-regulated autophagy is required for vascular smooth muscle cell hypertrophy

Copyright © 2019 Mondaca-Ruff, Riquelme, Quiroga, Norambuena-Soto, Sanhueza-Olivares, Villar-Fincheira, Hernández-Díaz, Cancino-Arenas, San Martin, García, Lavandero and Chiong.Hypertension is a disease associated to increased plasma levels of angiotensin II (Ang II). Ang II can regulate proliferation, migration, ROS production and hypertrophy of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). However, the mechanisms by which Ang II can affect VSMCs remain to be fully elucidated. In this context, autophagy, a process involved in self-digestion of proteins and organelles, has been described to regulate vascular remodeling. Therefore, we sought to investigate if Ang II regulates VSMC hypertrophy through an autophagy-dependent mechanism. To test this, we stimulated A7r5 cell line and primary rat aortic smooth muscle cells with Ang II 100 nM and measured autophagic markers at 24 h by Western blot. Autophagosomes were quantified by visualizing fluorescently labeled LC3 using confocal microscopy. The results showed that treatment with Ang II increases Beclin-1, Vps34, Atg-12–Atg5, Atg4 and Atg7 protein levels, Beclin-1 phosphorylation, as well as the number of autophagic vesicles, suggesting that this peptide induces autophagy by activating phagophore initiation and elongation. These findings were confirmed by the assessment of autophagic flux by co-administering Ang II together with chloroquine (30 μM). Pharmacological antagonism of the angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) with losartan and RhoA/Rho Kinase inhibition prevented Ang II-induced autophagy. Moreover, Ang II-induced A7r5 hypertrophy, evaluated by α-SMA expression and cell size, was prevented upon autophagy inhibition. Taking together, our results suggest that the induction of autophagy by an AT1R/RhoA/Rho Kinase-dependent mechanism contributes to Ang II-induced hypertrophy in VSMC