Palaeogenomics suggest domesticated camelid herding and wild camelid hunting in early pastoralist societies in the Atacama Desert

The domestication of camelids played a significant role in the development of Andean societies. However, distinguishing wild from domesticated forms remains difficult due to overlapping morphology. We use palaeogenomics to reveal the sex and ancestry of camelids from the Tulán ravine, a key region for early pastoral development in the South-Central Andes. We find evidence for both Vicugna and Lama based on 49 individuals with >0.001x coverage. Investigations into 26 individuals >0.01x show all individuals, except one male Lama, represent ancestry not in modern individuals. Similar male-to-female sex ratios suggest hunting or herding with selective culling. We find limited evidence for intergeneric admixture common in modern domesticates. Here, we show that early Formative communities (3360-2370 cal. yr BP) in the Tulán ravine primarily exploited wild or now-extinct early domesticate lineages, indicating that present-day domestic camelids are not direct descendants of those managed by early pastoralists.