Guanaco hunting and Llama herding in the South-Central Andes (3000-900 BP): An osteomorphometrical approach

•Traditional and Geometric morphometrics were used for identify large-sized camelid.•Geometric morphometrics is useful to differentiate guanacos from llamas.•Llama herding prevailed during the late Holocene.•Guanaco hunting has a relative constant frequency during the final late Holocene.•New insights into subsistence strategies for the area were produced. This paper aims to contribute to the study of the subsistence of human populations from the northern part of the Quebrada de Humahuaca (Northwestern Argentina –NWA-) between 3000 and 900 years BP, through the morphological and morphometric analysis of bone remains from large-sized camelids. The contribution of two complementary strategies -guanaco (Lama guanicoe) hunting and llama (Lama glama) herding- to the diet of those populations throughout the late Holocene is assessed. In order to achieve this, the first and second anterior and posterior phalanges are analyzed through both traditional morphometric (TM) and two-dimensional geometric morphometric (2D GMM) techniques. The sample is composed of 398 elements from 49 modern llamas and guanacos, and 36 elements from archaeological camelids recovered from the Antumpa, Cóndor II and Casas Grandes sites. We discuss the problem of the taxonomic identification of South American large-sized camelids with a novel methodology and we contribute relevant zooarchaeological information for a poorly studied geographical setting. Results indicate that llama herding prevailed throughout the late Holocene (4000-300 AP), although TM techniques showed a slight increase in guanaco hunting during the final late Holocene (1100-300 BP) and GMM showed a constant frequency of representation. The trends and variations thus identified would respond to both anthropic and local ecological factors.