Intentional cranial deformation in archaeological populations of Arica (Chile): preliminary geometric morphometrics analysis using craniofacial radiographs

Intentional cranial deformation is a long lasting and worldwide form of permanent modification of the main human head distinctive anatomical attributes. In northern Chile it was extensively done during five thousand years by populations which inhabited the Coast and Valleys from Arica. In spite of the importance that the study of this practice has had in anthropological research, biocultural remains such as hear, mould and textils preclude the morphometric analyses commonly performed onto the clean skull. In order to avoid these limitations and to know the pattern of skull shape variation, geometric morphometric methods and craneofacial radiographic technics were applied on non deformed and intentionally deformed samples of Arica’s archaeological populations. As a control sample radiographs obtained from modern Chileans were used. Radiographic and geometric morphometric evidences here presented show that: (1) variation of skull shape components of intentionally deformed crania is explained by both the force and the direction of the deforming devices originally applied, (2) intentional deformation affects anatomical landmarks located in the neurocrania as well as the face, (3) there would be a morphological continuity among populations representatives of Archaic and Agro-ceramic cultural traditions. The role of geometric morphometric and radiographic technics to asses the problem of intentional cranial deformation in archaeological and modern human populations as well as the discrepancy between our results and the results obtained by means of the traditional morphometric methods are discussed.Este trabajo fue financiado parcialmente por Proyectos Fondecyt 1020375 (GM) y 1050279 (GM)