Diversity in Andean Chenopodium domestication: Describing a new morphological type from la Barca, Bolivia 1300-1250 B.C.

Abstract

The domestication of Chenopodium in the Andean altiplano of South America was a complex process that took place during the Formative period (1800 B.C.-A.D. 400). We identified a new archaeological morphological type of Chenopodium sp. at the La Barca site, located in the Department of Oruro, Bolivia. We analyzed testa texture, margin configuration, beak prominence, seed diameter, and testa thickness using scanning electron microscopy. As a member of the same genus as Chenopodium quinoa, the identification of this new anthropogenic morphotype presents us with insights into the many complexities of the process of domestication and points towards selection occurring in multiple regions and different culture groups. © 2011 Society of Ethnobiology.