Palaeogenomics of camelids from the Atacama Desert, Chile

This study utilised palaeogenomic data to reveal the sex, ancestry, and domestication status of camelids recovered from archaeological sites from the Tulan ravine (Tulan-52, Tulan-54, Tulan-85, and Tulan-94) located in the eastern border of the Salar de Atacama that descends into Northern Chile. The Tulan ravine is a key area for understanding the transition from hunter-gatherer to initial pastoral societies in the South-Central Andes. The sites studied here belong to the Late Archaic period (Tulan-52 - 5290-4840/4430-4090 cal. yBP) and to the Early Formative period (Tulan-54, Tulan-85, and Tulan-94 - 3,360-2,370 cal. yr BP) when domesticated camelids are thought to have been incorporated into the economic activities of humans of this area.