Bioarchaeological study of the Los Tres Cerros site 1 (Upper Delta of the Paraná River, Entre Ríos, Argentina)

Abstract:

In this paper we present the results from bioarchaeological studies of human skeletal remains recovered at Los Tres Cerros 1 site (Victoria department, Entre Ríos, Argentina), an anthropogenic mound occupied between 1227 and 560 years BP by hunter-gatherer-fishers and horticulturist societies, ascribed to the archaeological entity Goya-Malabrigo. Bioarchaeological studies focused on determining the age and sex structure of the sample and on osseous lesions and the analysis of mortuary practices. Results show that 16 individuals of different age groups and both sexes were buried at the site. Variations in the treatment of the dead include primary and secondary burials and scattered bone remains. Some bones show signs of thermal alterations and ochre on their surface. Evidence presented here is discussed at a regional scale relative to other sites ascribed to the Goya-Malabrigo cultural entity in the Paraná Delta, with human skeletons.

Keywords:
Bioarchaeology; Mortuary practices; Paleopathology; Northeast Argentina; Goya-Malabrigo sites; Late Holocene.