Abstract

MIRANDA DE ZELA, Paula  and  FUCHS, Maria Laura. Artificial deformation of the skull and metabolic and infectious pathologies in the late population of the Puna de Jujuy, Argentina (1000-1450 A.D.). Cuad. Fac. Humanid. Cienc. Soc., Univ. Nac. Jujuy [online]. 2019, n.56, pp.195-226. ISSN 1668-8104.

This work arises from the need to cross two lines of independent research, with the objective of analyzing the influence of artificial deformation of the skull and the prevalence of metabolic-systemic and infectious pathologies in the individuals that inhabited the Puna de Jujuy, Argentina, during the Late Period (1000-1450 AD). The sample consists of 372 individuals represented by skulls and mandibles, without associated postcranial remains. The applied methodology consisted in the determination of sex, age estimation, and determination of type of artificial deformation of the skull and the measurement of 31 craniometrics variables (work made by second author MLF).The data were analyzed using univariate statistics. The indicators of metabolic-systemic stress (porotic hyperostosis [HP], cribra orbitalia [CO] and dental enamel hypoplasias [HED]) and infectious processes were evaluated on a subsample of 180 individuals ((work made by first author PMDZ); univariate statistics was used for the processing of the metric data. Results indicated the presence of different types of artificial deformation of the skull that manifested their effect on the morphology and would have determined a differential growth in the involved parts. A low frequency of indicators of metabolic-systemic stress and infections in the remains analyzed was revealed. These results allow us to state, on the one hand, that the development of puneños individuals would have occurred in a healthy environment in which they did not suffer situations of prolonged stress. On the other hand, although some authors have suggested that there would be a relationship between the presence of porotic hyperostosis and intentional cranial deformation, this was not detected in the sample analyzed

Keywords : Metrical characters; Porotic hyperostosis; Cribra orbitalia; Dental enamel hypoplasia; Infectious processes.

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