Pre-Columbian use of freshwater fish in the Santa Maria Biogeographical Province, Panama

Abstract

Freshwater fish faunas on the Isthmus of Panama are less diverse than those of the great South American river basins. Few freshwater species attain a large size (>500 g). The largest species regularly caught today in the lower freshwater sections of many Panamanian rivers are of marine origin. Freshwater fish species diversity and biomass decline rapidly with altitude particularly on the Pacific watershed. Historically, people living inland have compensated for this deficiency by consuming salted and dried marine fish. In four drainages in the Santa María Biogeographical Province that abut onto Parita Bay (central Pacific Panama), archaeologists have recovered well-preserved fish faunas dating from the Late Preceramic period (7000–5000 uncalibrated 14C years BP) to Spanish contact in AD 1515–20. Freshwater fish are scarce at most of these sites because they are—or were—located near the coast. Two more inland sites have produced significant samples of freshwater fish bones: a rock-shelter (Aguadulce Shelter, 7000–2500 BP) and a village (Sitio Sierra, 1800–1500 BP). At the Aguadulce Shelter freshwater fish remains represent about 50% of the taxonomically diagnostic teleost bone samples (>1.5 mm mesh) and at Sitio Sierra, 23% (>3.2 mm mesh). Twelve genera from ten families, probably representing twelve species of primary and secondary freshwater fish, have been recorded. Pre-Columbian communities preferentially consumed tiger-fish ( Hoplias microlepis), silver catfish ( Rhamdia quelen) and driftwood catfish ( Trachelyopterus amblops). Although these are predatory species that readily take hooks, archaeological evidence for hook-and-line fishing is lacking. Since people living in the study area use poison for fishing today (e.g. Dioscorea spp.) this method may have been used in pre-Columbian times. Archaeozoological data shed light on the timing of westward migrations of fish species hypothesized to have taken advantage of Pleistocene river anastomosis to cross watersheds during periods of lowered sea level. No archaeofaunas of Pleistocene age are available. However, the presence of the driftwood catfish in Late Preceramic layers at the Aguadulce Shelter indicate that this species had moved into the Santa María drainage of the Santa María Biogeographical Province (SMBP) by 7000–4500 BP. Another South American species, a gar characin ( Ctenolucius beani), is present in Early Ceramic (4500–2500 BP) deposits at the Aguadulce Shelter and also Monagrillo (4500–3300 BP) in the Parita drainage of the same province.