Holocene occupation of the Nothofagus-Austrocedrus Patagonian forest: insights from the zooarchaeological data

FERNÁNDEZ, PABLO MARCELO

San Rafael, Mendoza

Congreso; 12th International Conference of ICAZ; 2014

ICAZ, Museo de Historia Natural de San Rafael

Forested environments occupy an enormous area in the Neotropic. Understanding the time and the way of occupation of these spaces is relevant to understanding the process of dispersion of our species in South America. Among others, an important issue is the relationship between hunter-gatherers and their preys, in an environment characterize by scattered and/or low density animal preys. The objective is to present a synthesis of the knowledge gained on this relationship in the mixed Nothofagus-Austrocedrus chilensis forest from Río Negro and Chubut provinces. On the basis of the study of bone assemblages from six archaeological sites dating between 8000 and 200 yrs BP it could be established that the subsistence was based on the huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus), an Andean deer up to 90 kg weight. Far less important, the contribution of pudu (Pudu puda), puma (Puma concolor), and in historical times horse (Equus caballus), is also recorded. In the last 1700 yrs BP, in this and other adjacent forest areas, the number of sites, the increased intensity of occupations and the isotopic data suggest the more intensive use of the forest and/or a longer stay in this biome. However, these changes have not led to new ways of faunal exploitation.