Care as Survival in an Isolated Skeleton from Chile’s Semi-Arid North

Salvage archaeology at the port town of Las Lozas in Chile’s Huasco Valley yielded the skeletal remains of an individual from the Formative Period (1610–1180 cal B.P.). These nearly complete skeletal remains of an adult male showed evidence of a healed, malaligned oblique fracture at the distal third of the left tibial diaphysis and at the proximal third of the left fibular diaphysis, resulting in the fusion of these two bones. There were numerous sequelae present, ranging from osteomyelitis to potential lingering effects on the vertebra, likely resulting from the clear shortening of the left leg by nearly 3 cm. Combining archaeological and osteological evidence suggests there would have been both acute and chronic ramifications for this individual’s quotidian activities, including fishing and shellfish gathering. Extensive healing in these elements aligns with the possibility of care and community support in alignment with the larger patterns of communal and collaborative life on the coast of the semi-arid north. However, the evidence of infection and poor alignment suggests this may have been situational and suggestive of an emphasis on care that was more sufficient than restorative. This does not necessarily speak to questions of compassion but rather of adjusting to a different everyday space or a normal that values both survival and the ongoing contributions an individual could make.