Identification of botanical microremains in Guarani pottery from the Paraná River Basin (Argentina)

Abstract

Traditionally, in the archaeological literature, small-scale agriculture has been considered a central component of the río de La Plata Basin Guaraní groups’ lifestyle. This assumption was based on information from colonial historical documents and ethnographic data. Despite the importance attributed to agricultural practice in the context of the Guaraní Tradition, studies of archaeological botanical remains are scarce. In this paper, we present the analyses of siliceous and starch microremains recovered from Guarani Tradition pottery vessels from the Paraná River Basin, stored in the Deposit #25 of the Archaeology Division of the Museo de La Plata (Argentina). Samples were taken from 14 sherds from the Delta (Río Paraná Miní and Arroyo Fredes sites), and the Upper Paraná River. Results showed the presence of silica microfossils, such as graminoids, podostemoids, and dicotyledonous elements, as well as starch bodies, which allowed identifying grains related to Zea mays, and Phaseolus sp. We also assessed the relationship between some microremains morphotypes, and certain pottery types, which showed that organic remains were found mainly in vessels associated with storage, fermentation, and beverage service.