Paleonutritional Analysis on the Prehispanic Population from La Palma (Canary Islands) E. PÉREZ-GONZÁLEZ, 1 M. ARNAY -DE-LA-ROSA, 1 E. GONZÁLEZ-REIMERS,* ,2 L. GALINDO-MARTÍN, 3 AND J. VELASCO-VÁZQUEZ 1 1 Departamento de Prehistoria, Antropología e Historia Antigua, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain); 2 Departamento de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain); and 3 Departamento de Química Analítica, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain) Received April 18, 2000; Accepted July 1, 2000 ABSTRACT In this study, we determine bone strontium, barium, and cal- cium, as well as zinc, copper, and iron, in prehispanic samples belonging to adult individuals from the two main funerary caves from La Palma (Espigón and Barranco Porto), comparing them with our own modern controls. We have found that the Ba/Sr molar ratio of the individuals from Barranco Porto are significantly lower than that of the individuals from Espigón, thus suggesting a consumption of a marine-based diet by the former. Index Entries: Paleonutrition/bone trace elements/bone Sr, Ba, Ca; Canary Islands; ancient population. INTRODUCTION The island of La Palma is the most “atlantic” of the Canary Archi- pelago. Situated in the northwestern corner of the Archipelago, its cli- mate is markedly richer in rainfalls than that of the remaining islands. © Copyright 2001 by Humana Press Inc. All rights of any nature, whatsoever, reserved. 0163–4984/01/7902–0161 $11.50 Biological Trace Element Research 161 Vol. 79, 2001 *Author to whom all correspondence and reprint requests should be addressed.