Paleonutritional analysis on the prehispanic population from La Palma (Canary Islands)

Abstract

In this study, we determine bone strontium, barium, and calcium, as well as zinc, copper, and iron, in prehispanic samples belonging to adult individuals from the two main funerary caves from La Palma (Espigón and Barranco Porto), comparing them with our own modern controls. We have found that the Ba/Sr molar ratio of the individuals from Barranco Porto are significantly lower than that of the individuals from Espigón, thus suggesting a consumption of a marine-based diet by the former.