Langlie, BrieAnna S., Christine A. Hastorf, Maria C. Bruno, Marc Bermann, Renee M. Bonzani, and William Castellón Condarco. Diversity in Andean Chenopodium Domestication: Describing a New Morphological Type from La Barca, Bolivia 1300-1250 B.C. Journal of Ethnobiology 31, no.1 (2011): 72-88. http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.2993/0278-0771-31.1.72

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 morphologicaltype 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.

This is an Open Access publication made available on Dickinson Scholar with the permission of the publisher. For more information on the published version, visit BioOne's Website. https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-ethnobiology/volume-31/issue-1/0278-0771-31.1.72/Diversity-In-Andean-Chenopodium-Domestication--Describing-A-New-Morphological/10.2993/0278-0771-31.1.72.full

Maria Bruno is a professor of Anthropology and Archaeology at Dickinson College.

La domesticación de Chenopodium fue el resultado de un complejo proceso que ocurrió durante el periodo Formativo (1500 a.C - 400 d.C) en el altiplano andino de America del Sur. Se ha identificado un nuevo tipo morfológico de Chenopodium sp. en el yacimiento arqueológico de La Barca, ubicado en el Departamento de Oruro, Bolivia. Se examinó la textura de la testa, configuración del margen, prominencia del pico, diámetro de la semilla, y grosor de la testa de este nuevo tipo morfológico del mismo género que Chenopodium quinoa con un microscopio electrónico de barrido. Su identificación de este nuevo tipo permite comprender mejor su complejo proceso de domesticación y sugiere que hubo presiones selectivas en varias regiones y por parte de distintos grupos culturales.