TITLE:
Sexual Dimorphism in Prehispanic Populations of the Cochabamba Valleys, Bolivia
AUTHORS:
José A. Cocilovo, María L. Fuchs, Tyler G. O’Brien, Héctor H. Varela
KEYWORDS:
Sexual Dimorphism; Growth and Development; Population Biology; Craniometrics
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Anthropology,
Vol.3 No.1,
February
28,
2013
ABSTRACT: The expression of sexual dimorphism may vary across
time and space, as well as within
and between populations depending on genetic and environmental factors that
influence growth and development. The objective of the present work is to contribute
to the knowledge of factors that determine the physical characteristics of
ancient human groups in the eastern valleys of Cochabamba—a key region for cultural development, inter-regional
interaction with northern Chile and northwest Argentina, and their noticeable
role in the settlement of the south central Andean region. This paper analyzes
the differences between males and females crania representing ancient human
groups that inhabited the eastern valleys of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Thirty-one craniometric
variables are analyzed from a sample of 234 individuals. Differences are
evaluated using univariate analysis by ANOVA and multivariate discriminant
analysis. The results indicate
the existence of higher mean values in males compared to females in most
cranial measurements (mean difference 5.3%). The discriminant analysis also reveals a significant morphological difference
exists between sexes. Furthermore,
by means of the discriminant function, the reclassification of correct sex was
99% of cases. This information indicates that members of this
population could live in optimal conditions, with adequate resources to ensure
growth and development and normal expression of the phenotype of each sex.