pre-Columbian Cultures Research Articles

Deep microbial community profiling along the fermentation process of pulque, a biocultural resource of Mexico

The biggest non-tree perennial plant species endemic to Mexico were called metl in the Nahua culture; during colonial times, renamed with the Antillean word maguey. Carl von Linné finally renamed them as Agave, a Greek-Latin root word meaning admirable. Since pre-Columbian times, one of the major products obtained from some Agave species is the fermented beverage called pulque or octli. This beverage represents an ancient biotechnological development obtained by the natural fermentation of mead from such plants. Pulque played a central role in Mexican pre-Columbian cultures, while in recent times, there has been a renewed interest in it, due to its high content in nutrients and probiotics. In this study, we used massive sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) to profile the pulque microbiome. We identified 2,855 bacteria operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and 1,494 fungi species in the pulque fermentation. Our results provide the most diverse catalog of microbes during pulque production reported so far. These findings allowed us to identify previously unidentified and core microbes resilient during pulque production, with the potential to be used as fermentation stage biomarkers. We confirmed previous reports of pulque microbes and discovered new ones like the bacteria Sphingomonas and Weisella. Among fungi we found that Saccharomyces cerevisiae was second to Candida zemplina in the studied pulque samples.

Studies on development of pomegranate beverage by incorporation of Quinoa extract

Pomegranateis an excellent source of anthocyanins (delphinidin, pelargonidin and cyanidin) and additional phenolic compounds (including hydrolyzable tannins such as punicalin, punicalagin, pedunculagin, gallicand ellagic acid), organic acids and antioxidant activity. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Wild.) is a crop used by pre-Columbian cultures in South America for centuries. Quinoa contains higher protein content and incredible balance of essential amino acids, resulting in excellent protein value similar to casein in milk. Majority of the stored proteins in quinoa are composed of albumin (35%) and globulin (37%). Main carbohydrate in quinoa is starch (52% - 69%) and it is gluten free with low glycemic index. The main flavonoids in quinoa are kaempferol and quercetin both are strong antioxidants and free-radical scavengers. In the present study, synergetic effect of pomegranate beverage with the incorporation of quinoa extract showed noticeable differences among the treatments. Among different treatments, the highest phenol, antioxidant and flavonoid content were noticed in T4 (80% Pomegranate juice+ 20% quinoa extract+ Sugar- 15˚Brix) with 463.33 mg GAE/100 mL, 463.56 mg AAE/100 mL and 54.00 mg QE/100 mL, respectively.

Ancestral knowledge application via “albarradas” and “tapes” in water management in Santa Elena province, Ecuador

Integral water management is relevant for sustainability through the criteria application of accumulation, recharge and environmental control of a watershed, enhanced by the rescue of ancestral knowledge. In the Santa Elena province (PSE), there are hundreds of structures of “albarradas” and “tapes”, built by pre-Columbian cultures as tools for water management. The aim of this paper is to present ancestral knowledge linked to groundwater by describing the use of “albarradas” and “tapes”, for the provision of water in rural communities in semi-arid areas. The methodology includes: i) generalities on the use of ancestral structures; ii) description of the “albarradas” and “tapes” in the PSE; iii) conceptual scheme of the structure of this ancestral knowledge; iv) rescue and practice for water management in semiarid areas. In the PSE there are vestiges of more than a hundred “albarradas” and “tapes” in rural areas, which reveal a history and experiences in the management and use of groundwater in these territories. The Ecuadorian government has supported the rescue of knowledge through the rehabilitation of the “albarradas”. In Manglaralto, the community itself, together with strategic allies, has been evolving and adapting this ancestral knowledge, to respond to a growing demand, and thus provide water for their own community, and they have been strengthening their productive activities such as tourism and agriculture. Nowadays, by using the “albarradas” and “tapes”, a system of planting and harvesting water has been put into practice (SyCA), and has becomes the key for water sustainability and the development of rural communities.

The national and international in contemporary mexican architecture

The article analyzes national and international features in the architecture of modern Mexico. In accordance with the stated task, it presents the main stages of development of Mexican architecture, taking into account the influence of both global trends and Spanish architectural styles. The work notes the special influence of the Baroque (Mexican ultra-Baroque), which was manifested primarily in the cult construction. The article emphasizes that Mexican architecture at all stages of development formed its own national features. In the early colonial period, this was manifested in the appeal to the local version of aboriginal art-tequitqui art, primarily in the design and decoration. The author reveals the origins and features of various ethnically colored elements associated with pre-colonial cultures (the shape of the pyramid in different angles, "Mexican color" in a colorful palette of external and internal design, landscape accounting, etc.). The article presents examples of the work of some of the most famous Mexican architects of the last decades, the artistic principles of their work. The paper also provides examples of spontaneous "folk" use of images and forms of pre-Columbian cultures in the typical architecture of modern Mexico. The author believes that the modern stage in the development of Mexican architecture will get its recognizable, international, national-colored name, just as it happened with the so-called "new Russian style".

Juan Cabezón in the lands of America. Memorias del Nuevo Mundo by Homero Aridjis: genesis, background, projections.

The present paper focuses on Memorias del Nuevo Mundo, a little-studied novel by Homero Aridjis, a renowned Mexican poet and author of novels, stories, plays, essays, as well as being a prominent environmentalist. Published in 1988, Memorias del Nuevo Mundo is part of a novelistic diptych that begins with 1492. Vida y tiempos de Juan Cabezon de Castilla (1985). In addition to establishing the way in which 1492 and Memories are articulated as part of a solid and mature project, the paper explores the precedents of the theme of the conquest and discovery of America in the poetry and theater of Aridjis, which includes, of course, a vision of the pre-Columbian cultures. Finally, an examination of the projections of Memorias in the later Aridjisian oeuvre shows that Aridjis’ look at Spain’s pre- Hispanic and colonial past in the 1980s convey a pessimistic interpretation of contemporary Mexico, marred by the corruption of politicians and drug traffickers which has made Mexico one of the most dangerous and violent countries in the world.

Sparse Radiocarbon Data Confound Culture-Climate Links in Late Pre-Columbian Amazonia

It has recently been argued that pre-Columbian societies in the greater Amazon basin during the Late Holocene were subject to “adaptive cycling”. In this model, cultures practicing “intensive” land use practices, such as raised field agriculture, were vulnerable to perturbations in hydroclimate, whereas “extensive” land use patterns, such as polyculture agroforestry, are viewed as more resilient to climate change. On the basis of radiocarbon data, the relative rise and fall of late pre-Columbian cultures and their inferred patterns of land use in six regions are highlighted to exemplify this model. This paper re-examines the radiocarbon evidence marshalled in favour of adaptive cycling, demonstrating that alleged temporal patterning in these data are overwhelmingly likely due to a combination of sampling effects, lack of statistical controls, and unacknowledged uncertainties that are inherent to radiocarbon dating. The outcome of this combination of factors seriously limits the possibility of cross-referencing archaeological data with palaeo-ecological and -climatological data without controlling for these effects, undermining the central archaeological pillar in support of adaptive cycling in Amazonia. This paper illustrates examples of such mitigation measures and provides the code to replicate them. Suggestions for how to overcome the serious limitations identified in the Late Holocene radiocarbon record of Amazonia are presented in the context of ongoing debates on inferring climatic causation in archaeological and historical datasets.

Simbolismo de las narigueras peruanas y aproximación a su manufactura durante el Periodo Intermedio Temprano

Este trabajo presenta una visión general del significado e importancia que tuvieron las narigueras en las culturas peruanas precolombinas; asimismo las relaciona con las narigueras colombianas y mexicanas, y también nos introduce a su simbología. A partir de los ejemplares conocidos, se ha destacado la variedad de colores utilizados en su fabricación y, por tanto, la diversidad de tecnologías utilizadas. Para lograr un primer acercamiento a estas tecnologías, un corpus de 39 narigueras procedentes de distintas colecciones peruanas correspondientes al Periodo Intermedio Temprano (200 a. C.-600 d. C.) se analizó por medio de microscopia óptica y espectrometría de fluorescencia de rayos X por dispersión de energía con un equipo portátil. Con base en los resultados obtenidos, y por comparación entre los porcentajes de plata, oro y cobre contenidos en las aleaciones de las narigueras bicolores y monocolores, fue posible deducir cómo fueron elaboradas.

The Tillandsia genus: history, uses, chemistry, and biological activity.

Tillandsia L. genus comprises 649 species, with different uses at different times. T. usneoides L. uses are reported since the late-archaic and pre-Columbian cultures. In XIX-XX centuries, T. usneoides was used in some manufactured products, as polish and packing fruit. Tillandsia has a favorable reputation as medicine: for leucorrhea, rheumatism, ulcers, hemorrhoid treatment, as an anti-diabetic remedy, emetic, analgesic, purgative, contraceptive, antispasmodic and diuretic. Tillandsia chemical composition includes cycloartane triterpenes and hydroxy-flavonoids, which are present in at least 24 species. Several extracts and compounds from Tillandsia spp. have been reported with pharmacological actions, as anti-neoplasia, hypolipidemic, antifungal, anti-HSV-1, hypoglycemic and microbicide. This review communicates the economic importance, ethnobotany, chemistry composition and biological activities of the Tillandsia genus, and analyze its biological and economic perspective. Tillandsia genus has cultural, economic and pharmacological relevance, with a high potential in many essential aspects of the modern society.

EXTRA-LINGUISTIC FACTORS IN SHAPING CONCEPT IDENTITY IN MEXICAN NATIONAL VARIANT OF THE SPANISH LANGUAGE

The article examines the main features of the linguistic picture of the world of Mexicans, the features of the lexical composition and the culturally significant vocabulary of the modern Mexican national variant of the Spanish language. The fragment of the Mexican national conceptual sphere presented by the concept IDENTITY and its ethnospecifics was analyzed; the analysis of the main extra-linguistic factors of the formation of worldview views of Mexicans and the historical preconditions for the formation of the mentioned concept in modern Mexican linguistic culture was carried out.Concept IDENTITY is characterized by a high degree of significance and versatility for each national conceptual sphere, but in the Mexican national version of Spanish, its value characteristics, specific features and areas of application reveal better understanding of the worldview and mentality of Mexicans. Mexican national identity is a cultural symbiosis of skin colors and thoughts, an extremely rich and varied culture. Because of this enormous wealth of cultural elements, history it is not easy to combine so many people under one common definition of the concept of identity; therefore, it is necessary to take into account the totality of ancient and modern cultural elements, processes of interpenetration and assimilation, cultural influences from the outside of the country and rethinking of pre-Columbian culture. The analysis of extra-linguistic factors in shaping concept IDENTITY in the Mexican national version of the Spanish language revealed the relation of isosemicity and isofunctionality, in which there is a mentality, a national character and a language picture of the world of Mexicans. Optional features of the Spanish language of Mexico were identified due to the originality of Mexican culture, the peculiarities of the Mexican worldview and historical processes that influenced the formation of the Mexican national identity.

Introduction into the history of the textile collection at the Ethnological Museum Berlin

When the Ethnological Museum at Berlin was founded, it counted already with several hundred pieces from South America. Only a minor part them belonged to pre-Columbian cultures from the Andes. While most of these pieces were ceramics almost no ancient fabrics could be found in the collection. This reflected the collector’s interests focusing on objects made of ceramic, stone or metal and on human remains. Consequently, the first pieces of fabric reached the museum at Berlin as parts of mummy cloths. This did not change until 1879, when the collection of Reiss and Stübel was acquired for the museum. It was the result of the comprehensive saving of all finds from their archaeological excavation activities in Ancón. At the same time, this material has to be considered the foundation of Berlin’s famous textile collection. The paper traces the development of this collection from its early years until the major acquisitions in the early 20thcentury. It is suggested that the establishment of textile research as an own branch of Andean archaeology was closely linked to this collection.

Remote Sensing of Chaco Roads Revisited

ABSTRACTThis paper reports on the first and highly effective use of Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) technology to document Chaco roads, monumental linear surface constructions of the precolumbian culture that occupied the Four Corners region of the American Southwest between approximately AD 600 and 1300. Analysis of aerial photographs supplemented by ground survey has been the traditional methodology employed to identify Chaco roads, but their traces have become increasingly subtle and difficult to detect in recent years due to the impacts of natural weathering, erosion, and land development. Roads that were easily visible in aerial photography and on the ground in the 1980s are now virtually invisible, underscoring the need for new, cutting-edge techniques to detect and document them. Using three case studies of the Aztec Airport Mesa Road, the Great North Road, and the Pueblo Alto Landscape, we demonstrate lidar's unprecedented ability to document known Chaco roads, discover previously undetected road segments, and produce a precise quantitative record of these rapidly vanishing features.

A Mesoamerican origin of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.): Implications for the conservation of plant genetic resources.

Knowledge on the structure and distribution of genetic diversity is a key aspect to plan and execute an efficient conservation and utilization of the genetic resources of any crop as well as for determining historical demographic inferences. In this work, a large data set of 1,765 accessions of cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill, Annonaceae), an underutilized fruit tree crop native to the Neotropics and used as a food source by pre-Columbian cultures, was collected from six different countries across the American continent and amplified with nine highly informative microsatellite markers. The structure analyses, fine representation of the genetic diversity and an ABC approach suggest a Mesoamerican origin of the crop, contrary to previous reports, with clear implications for the dispersion of plant germplasm between Central and South America in pre-Columbian times. These results together with the potential distribution of the species in a climatic change context using two different climate models provide new insights for the history and conservation of extant genetic resources of cherimoya that can be applied to other currently underutilized woody perennial crops.

Genetic diversity and population structure of native maize populations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This study describes the genetic diversity and population structure of 194 native maize populations from 23 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The germplasm, representing 131 distinct landraces, was genetically characterized as population bulks using 28 SSR markers. Three main groups of maize germplasm were identified. The first, the Mexico and Southern Andes group, highlights the Pre-Columbian and modern exchange of germplasm between North and South America. The second group, Mesoamerica lowland, supports the hypothesis that two separate human migration events could have contributed to Caribbean maize germplasm. The third, the Andean group, displayed early introduction of maize into the Andes, with little mixing since then, other than a regional interchange zone active in the past. Events and activities in the pre- and post-Columbian Americas including the development and expansion of pre-Columbian cultures and the arrival of Europeans to the Americas are discussed in relation to the history of maize migration from its point of domestication in Mesoamerica to South America and the Caribbean through sea and land routes.

Registro De Bienes Culturales Muebles Para El Análisis Arqueológico De Grupos Sociales Precolombinos. Estudio De Caso: Puñay, Cantón Chunchi, Provincia De Chimborazo, Ecuador

The aim of this study is to present the results of the identification of the cultural styles, social occupations, and cultural affiliates of archaeological sites such as Paccha, Piñancay, Puñay, and Joyaczhi that conforms to the archaeological area, Puñay. The objective of this study is to keep an archaeological record of the movable cultural property of tourist sites. This is done through the cataloging and characterization of movable property. In cataloging, the records of the archaeological assets of the INPC are applied. Also, in characterization, the methodology was considered as the Crockery for the determination of the Ceramic Cultural styles and the color of the external and internal pulp. In addition, the core of the Munsell tables was considered. The research allows the identification of 10 ceramic cultural styles in Paccha, 8 in Piñancay, 10 in Puñay sector, and 3 in Joyaczhi through typology and decorative techniques. Also, they are visualized chronologies which are related to the social contexts in which these archeological properties are materialized. The ceramic styles established for the archaeological area belongs to the Integration Period of the pre-Columbian culture Cañari 800- 1530d.C.

A First Report of Variscite Tairona Artifacts (A.D. 1100-1600) from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, and Its Implications for Precolumbian exchange Networks in the Region

AbstractArchaeometric analyses (Raman Spectroscopy Analysis, X-Ray Diffraction, and Electron Microprobe Analysis) of greenstone beads of the precolumbian Tairona culture (A.D. 1100–1600) of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, have revealed that they are made of variscite-group minerals. These beads were curated at the Museo del Oro, Bogotá, and the Archaeology Laboratory of the Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla. Variscite minerals of the variscite-strengite series are rare in nature, and therefore provenance data of source material are useful for the development of intercultural influence models. The abundance of this rare material in prehistoric Colombian collections strongly indicates not only that this material had important symbolic and prestige value for ancient Tairona societies (Nahuange and Tairona periods) but also that these societies participated in ancient trade routes, including, at least, the Andes of present-day Colombia and Venezuela, and the southern Caribbean coast.

Paradoxes of Belonging in Peru's National Museums

This article examines the establishment of Peru's national museums in the first half of the 20th century. I address the ways that art, archaeology, and anthropology intertwined in the collection of objects and the creation of buildings in which to house them. In addressing commemorative events, especially the Centennial of Independence, I argue that the performative practices of memory building depended on the creation of an idea of unity that, paradoxically, emphasized differences attributed largely to race and origin. Thus, the state's efforts to hegemonize the past by appropriating Inca and earlier pre-Columbian cultures as Peruvian were both supported and challenged by elite vanguard artists and intellectuals who shaped the new national museums along with the concept of patrimony. In particular, I focus on the National Museum of Popular Culture, addressing the seminal role of artist José Sabogal and his circle, within the broader contexts of Peruvian and Latin American indigenismo.

Ancient DNA Analysis Suggests Negligible Impact of the Wari Empire Expansion in Peru's Central Coast during the Middle Horizon.

The analysis of ancient human DNA from South America allows the exploration of pre-Columbian population history through time and to directly test hypotheses about cultural and demographic evolution. The Middle Horizon (650–1100 AD) represents a major transitional period in the Central Andes, which is associated with the development and expansion of ancient Andean empires such as Wari and Tiwanaku. These empires facilitated a series of interregional interactions and socio-political changes, which likely played an important role in shaping the region’s demographic and cultural profiles. We analyzed individuals from three successive pre-Columbian cultures present at the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site in Lima, Peru: Lima (Early Intermediate Period, 500–700 AD), Wari (Middle Horizon, 800–1000 AD) and Ychsma (Late Intermediate Period, 1000–1450 AD). We sequenced 34 complete mitochondrial genomes to investigate the potential genetic impact of the Wari Empire in the Central Coast of Peru. The results indicate that genetic diversity shifted only slightly through time, ruling out a complete population discontinuity or replacement driven by the Wari imperialist hegemony, at least in the region around present-day Lima. However, we caution that the very subtle genetic contribution of Wari imperialism at the particular Huaca Pucllana archaeological site might not be representative for the entire Wari territory in the Peruvian Central Coast.

LA COMIDA NATIVA EN LA AMAZONÍA PERUANA

Desde tiempos pasados, la comida en las culturas prehispánicas de la Amazonía peruana es el resultado de la adaptación del hombre a su medio ambiente, en tal razón que en la selva siempre fue importante el consumo de carne de monte, pescado de río, con alto contenido de proteínas y vegetales como la yuca, maíz, maní, frijoles y los plátanos del huerto con alto contenido de carbohidratos, a la cual se le agregaba la infaltable bebida de masato. La evidencia arqueológica de los alimentos y su preparación no se han encontrado, sólo se han rescatado algunos instrumentos u objetos, y formas de las vajillas de comida, las cuales son presentados aquí para comprender el significado social antes que hablar de recetas culinarias. Así mismo los arqueólogos han planteado el debate sobre la existencia de una relación entre la agricultura que tiene que ver con la alimentación, el sedentarismo y el desarrollo de sociedades complejas. La información de la etnohistoria nos habla de pueblos muy grandes con mucha comida; en las referencias etnográficas encontramos el mito de origen del juego y los alimentos y actualmente en los grupos nativos existe una riqueza culinaria que es el resultado de este largo proceso que se inicia con la agricultura y el sedentarismo y la posterior influencia andino-quechua y occidental en la alimentación. Palabras Clave: Alimentación, adaptación, Amazonía peruana.

Retroviral DNA Sequences as a Means for Determining Ancient Diets.

For ages, specialists from varying fields have studied the diets of the primeval inhabitants of our planet, detecting diet remains in archaeological specimens using a range of morphological and biochemical methods. As of recent, metagenomic ancient DNA studies have allowed for the comparison of the fecal and gut microbiomes associated to archaeological specimens from various regions of the world; however the complex dynamics represented in those microbial communities still remain unclear. Theoretically, similar to eukaryote DNA the presence of genes from key microbes or enzymes, as well as the presence of DNA from viruses specific to key organisms, may suggest the ingestion of specific diet components. In this study we demonstrate that ancient virus DNA obtained from coprolites also provides information reconstructing the host’s diet, as inferred from sequences obtained from pre-Columbian coprolites. This depicts a novel and reliable approach to determine new components as well as validate the previously suggested diets of extinct cultures and animals. Furthermore, to our knowledge this represents the first description of the eukaryotic viral diversity found in paleofaeces belonging to pre-Columbian cultures.

ChemInform Abstract: Nanoporous Gold: Understanding the Origin of the Reactivity of a 21St Century Catalyst Made by Pre‐Columbian Technology

AbstractReview: 105 refs.