Analysis of starch grains trapped in human dental calculus in Áspero, Peru during the Initial Formative Period (3000-1800 BCE).

The objective of this research is to identify the plants consumed and to determine their dietary importance in Áspero, an urban center on the coast of the Supe Valley, Peru. Consequently, starch grains trapped in the human dental calculus of nine individuals were recovered, while the results from one individual from the Sacred City of Caral, located in the interior of Supe Valley, are presented. Eight species of food plants were identified, among them C plants: sweet potato, squash, potato, chili pepper, algarrobo, manioc and bean and C plant: maize.