Palaeodemographic profile in “El Cerrito” (La Herradura), an archaic fishmen group in the semi-arid northern Chile

Abstract

The people from the El Cerrito site near of the La Herradura beach (Semi-arid north of Chile) in the second millennium B.C. buried their dead in a shellmidden. This paper presents the analysis of the biology of this fishermen group as regards its adaptation to the environment, to environmental impact and its demography. The sample comprises 105 male and female individuals of different age classes that were examined for a number of metric and non-metric morphological variables as well as for attributes associated with nutritional and infectious illnesses and trauma. The results indicate that 65% of the metric variables show the effect of the sexual dimorphism, while very few show indications of variation in the mature age class. An evaluation of sex determination by means of discriminant functions indicated that 100% of cases were correctly assigned. Non-metric features offer no proof of association with the sex of the individuals. Hyperostosis was present in 21% and hypoplasia in 22% of the sample. Non-specific infectious pathologies were distributed in the different parts of the body with percentages of up to 48% in teeth. Degenerative processes in articulations present high incidences (40- 74%) and the same applies to osteophytosis, with peak frequencies on the dorsal portion of the spine. Trauma is less prevalent and restricted mostly to the skull. Life expectancy was estimated at 24 years at birth accompanied by the nonexistence of individuals older than 50. The gross mortality rate was 42,3 per mil, the average family size was barely three people, the average age of the population was 15,2 years and the average adult age was 24 years old.