Appliyng Environmental and Etnographic Frames of Reference Northwestern Patagonia, Argentina

RIZZO, F.; S. LEONARDT; JOHNSON, A.; SCHEINSOHN, V.

Orlando, FL

Congreso; SAA 81ST ANNUAL MEETING; 2016

Society for American Archaeology

In this work, we apply the environmental and ethnographic frames of reference constructed by Binford (2001) and calculated in EnvCalc2.1 in order to generate and evaluate archaeological hypothesis for the central-western area of Chubut Province (Patagonia, Argentina), an area in which archaeological research has recently started. Patagonia is an elongated territory located between 39º W and 55º S in Southern South America. By its shape, it receives an important oceanic influence which determines the lack of subpolar conditions, tundra and permafrost, expected by its latitude. The regional climate is determined by the westerly winds coupled with precipitation inducedby the western flanks of the Andean Cordillera by a 'rainshadow effect'. As a consequence, a strong east-west gradient is produced, with annual precipitation ranging from of4000 mm on the western slope to 200 in the east. In our study area this gradient determines two biomes: the steppe, represented by Genoa Valley and the forest represented by the Pico Valley. Both valleys are connected and situated at similar latitude. The hunter-gatherer frames of reference are used to develop hypotheses regarding expected variation in subsistence, mobility, and housing across the study region. These expectations will be compared with the archaeological evidence from the region.