The role of small prey in human populations of Northwest Patagonia and its implications

RINDEL, D. D.; F. GORDÓN; B. MOSCARDI; PEREZ, S. IVAN

Ancient Hunting Strategies in Southern South America

Springer

Lugar: Cham; Año: 2021; p. 175 - 207

The prehistoric rise in the consumption of small prey has traditionallybeen explained by archaeologist as the result of diet intensification under situationsof demographic pressure. However, alternative explanations have been proposed,such as processes of niche differentiation, nutritional decisions that increase reproductivesuccess or processes of complementarity between resources. In particular,studies of Nutritional Ecology, which focuses on the reproductive advantages of theconsumption of all the essential nutrients to the human life, rather than the energyreturn rate per se, provides an alternative explanation for changes in the consumptionof small prey. In this study we examine the role of this prey?which includesdasipodids (i.e., piche and peludo), mollusks, birds, small carnivores, rodents, andfish?in the diet of Northwestern Patagonian prehistoric populations, consideringdifferent demographic scenarios for the human populations and their most commonprey, guanaco. We use zooarchaeological and stable isotope data to describe dietarypatterns and changes, and consider the available ethnohistorical information for theexploitation of these resources in the area. Finally, we gather nutritional and socioethologicaldata of the fauna from the region and discuss some of the applications andassumptions of prey choice models.We suggest that the role of small prey in humandiets in Northwest Patagonia was more important along the Holocene than what istraditionally held and was complementary to the consumption of guanaco in termsof availability and nutritional content and in the costs of obtaining and processing.