Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 75 (1): 259-264, 2002
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Microdiferenciación cronológica craneofacial de poblaciones humanas prehistóricas del Valle
de Azapa, norte de Chile
Archeological evidence suggest that the cultural developments occurred in the highlands
around lake Titicaca in the Central Andes, exerted influence on the cultural elaborations of the human groups that peopled the valley of
Azapa, close to the city of Arica, and the Pacific coast of northern Chile. In this communication we show by means of a distance
analysis, that a craniofacial differentiation accompanied the process of cultural evolution in the valley. The biological influence of
Tiwanaku is partially reflected in craniofacial morphology, providing preliminary evidence that cultural changes were associated to
intermittent gene flow from the highlands, specially during the Alto Ramírez and San Miguel phases.
Key words:
craniometrical distance
analysis, Andean prehistoric populations
