Resumo A ocupação das Américas tem sido discutida cientificamente desde o século XIX, gerando uma infinidade de modelos explicativos. Por outro lado, há limitações das evidências empíricas das primeiras ocupações, causadas por problemas depreservação e pela baixa visibilidade arqueológica. Nesse aspecto, o uso de dados biológicos de populações humanas atuais e antigas tem fornecido informações cruciais para a interpretação dessas primeiras ocupações. Sob uma perspectivabioarqueológica, ou seja, através do estudo dos remanescentes biológicos humanos em contexto arqueológico, este texto sintetiza o atual entendimento sobre a rota de entrada, a data de entrada inicial, o número de migrações, a subsistência eos rituais mortuários dos primeiros americanos. Os resultados desse panorama sintético indicam que há temáticas de alto consenso (rota de entrada), de consenso intermediário (data de entrada) e de baixo consenso (número de migrações).Por outro lado, temáticas como a saúde e o modo de vida dos habitantes antigos das Américas ainda carecem de estudos mais aprofundados. Este texto ressalta a importância do conhecimento bioarqueológico para a formulação de modelosde ocupação, buscando incorporar de forma equilibrada evidências da América do Sul e do Norte.

Abstract The occupation of the Americas has been discussed scientifically since the nineteenth century, generating countless explanatory models. On the other hand, empirical evidence of the first occupations is limited because of preservationproblems and low archaeological visibility. In this regard, the use of biological data from living and ancient human populations has provided crucial information for interpreting these early occupations. From a bioarchaeological perspective (in other words, from the study of human biological remains within an archaeological context), this present study brings together current understanding on the route of entry, the date of initial entry, the number of migrations, subsistence, and mortuary rituals of the first Americans. The results of this overview indicate that there are topics with high consensus (route of entry), intermediate consensus (date of entry), and low consensus (number of migrations). Meanwhile, the health and lifestyle of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas still require further study. This text highlights the importance of bioarchaeological knowledge in formulating occupation models while incorporating evidence from both South and North America in abalanced manner.

Resumo A região de Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, apresenta uma história de pesquisas que cruza as fronteiras disciplinares da antropologia, arqueologia e biologia. Neste artigo, traçamos um panorama dos debates que permeiam 180 anos de pesquisa na região. As primeiras intervenções na área foram realizadas pelo naturalista Peter Lund, no século XIX. Desde então, intervenções nacionais, como as do Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, e internacionais, como as das missões Americana e Francesa, aconteceram na região. Enfatizamos neste artigo o impacto produzido na pesquisa local pelas mudanças teóricas e pela intensidade de diálogo entre as disciplinas envolvidas. Por fim, destacamos a importância de manter as pesquisas na região centradas em questões científicas interdisciplinares.

Abstract The region of Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais, presents a research history that crosses the disciplinary boundaries of anthropology, archaeology and biology. In this article, we outline the debates that went on during more than 180 years of research in the region. The first studies in the area were carried out by the naturalist Peter Lund in the 19th century. Since then, Brazilian interventions, such as the ones sponsored by the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro, and international ones, such as the American and French missions, have taken place in the region. We emphasize in this article the impact of the theoretical changes and the intensity of dialogue between disciplines involved in Lagoa Santa research. Finally, we highlight the importance of keeping research focused on interdisciplinary scientific issues.

ABSTRACT The origin and dispersion of the first Americans have been extensively investigated from morphological and genetic perspectives, but few studies have focused on their health and lifestyle. The archaeological site of Lapa do Santo, central-eastern Brazil, has exceptionally preserved Early Holocene human skeletons, providing 19 individuals with 327 permanent and 122 deciduous teeth dated to 9,250 to 7,500 years BP. In this study, we test whether the inhabitants of Lapa do Santo had high prevalence of dental caries as previous studies of Lagoa Santa collection have indicated, using individual and tooth as units of analyses. The results show a high prevalence of dental caries in the permanent dentition (5.50%, n=327 teeth; 69.23%, n=13 individuals) compared to other samples of hunter-gatherers worldwide. In addition, dental caries in deciduous teeth start occurring as early as 3 to 4 years old, suggesting an early start to caries. Compared with other samples from Lagoa Santa, Lapa do Santo shows statistically similar prevalence of overall caries but different caries location pattern. We believe that a subsistence adaptation to a tropical environment rich in sources of carbohydrates, such as fruits, is the best explanation for the overall caries prevalence.

The region of San Pedro de Atacama, Northern Chile, has undergone several cultural and social changes after humans settled in Atacama Desert around 500 BC. The Atacameño people experienced the highest degree of social and cultural changes between 400 and 900 AD when they were assimilated into the Tiwanaku trade and political web that influenced most of the Central-Southern Andes. Under the influence of Tiwanaku, San Pedro de Atacama experienced its greatest economic development. Prior analyses of local human skeletal remains have shown a significant increase in the stature of the local population during the same period. In this paper, we investigate the impact of the Tiwanaku influence on the local epidemiological profile using the incidence of periostitis and osteomyelitis as indicators of biological stress. Surprisingly, the best epidemiological condition occurred during the final phase of influence of Tiwanaku (910-960 AD), and not during the apex influence (480-920 AD), as expected by the archaeological context. We suggest that population growth and aggregation may have counteracted the benefits of improved nutrition during the peak Tiwanaku influence. A severe drought occurred between 1,100 and 1,400 AD in Northern Chile. This could also explain the marked increase of bone infections in the post-Tiwanaku period (920-1,240 AD).

La región de San Pedro de Atacama, Norte de Chile, experimentó varios cambios culturales y sociales desde los primeros asentamientos humanos alrededor de los 500 a.c., aunque los más altos grados de cambio los sufrieron los atacameños entre 400 y 900 d.C., cuando fueron establecidas conexiones con la red cultural y de intercambio de Tiwanaku, cultura ésta que ejerció influencia sobre la mayor parte de los andes centro-sur. Bajo esta influencia, San Pedro de Atacama tuvo su mayor desarrollo económico. Análisis anteriores de restos esqueletales humanos han mostrado un significativo aumento en la estatura de la población local durante el mismo período. En este trabajo investigamos el impacto de la influencia Tiwanaku en el perfil epidemiológico local, usando la incidencia de periostitis y de osteomielitis como indicadores de estrés biológico. La mejor situación epidemiológica ocurrió durante el final de la fase de influencia de Tiwanaku (910-960 d.C.) y no durante el ápice de esta influencia (480-920 d.C.), como sería de esperar por el contexto arqueológico. Sugerimos que el crecimiento poblacional y la consecuente congregación pudo haber contrarrestado los beneficios de una mejor nutrición durante el auge de la influencia altiplánica. Una severa sequía ocurrió entre 1.100 y 1.400 d.C. en el norte de chile, lo que podría explicar el marcado aumento de las infecciones óseas en el período post-Tiwanaku (920-1.240 d.C.).