Abstract

GUTIERREZ-FERRO, Santiago Enrique. Fish and Humans in the Lower Magdalena during the Late Formative Period: An Archaeological and Historical Perspective on the La Galepia Site (Momposina Depression, Colombia). Antipod. Rev. Antropol. Arqueol. [online]. 2024, n.54, pp.27-60.  Epub Feb 19, 2024. ISSN 1900-5407.  https://doi.org/10.7440/antipoda54.2024.02.

This article presents the analysis of a sample of fish bone remains recovered from the La Galepia site, located in the district of Mompós (Department of Bolívar, Caribbean Region of Colombia). This analysis was conducted as part of research designed to evaluate the importance of local freshwater fish in the subsistence and dietary patterns of the site's population during the Late Formative Period (13th to 16th centuries AD). The article summarizes the findings of a preliminary examination of the ichthyoarchaeological remains from La Galepia, based on two methodological stages. The first involved zooarchaeological analysis, through which anatomical and taxonomic identification of the sample was carried out. In the second stage, ichthyoarchaeological data from the site were compared with two lines of evidence: 1) the zooarchaeological record and 2) the historical record of the Momposina Depression and the Lower Magdalena River. By situating the fish assemblage from La Galepia in the regional context, our aim was to interpret possible interactions between humans and fish in this late occupation. It was determined that the assemblage at this site consists of local freshwater species, which were used as food by humans. These results align with trends reported in other riverside occupations in the region, prompting a reconsideration of the role of fish acquisition and consumption within the adaptive strategies of pre-Hispanic populations in the Colombian Caribbean.

Keywords : Caribbean Lowlands of Colombia; ichthyoarchaeology; Lower Magdalena River; Momposina Depression; zooarchaeology.

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