ANIMAL REMAINS IN MORTUARY CONTEXTS IN SOUTHERN PATAGONIA: A CASE STUDY IN LAKE SALITROSO (SANTA CRUZ, ARGENTINA

RINDEL, DIEGO; GARCÍA GURAIEB, SOLANA; CASSIODORO, GISELA; GOÑI, RAFAEL A.

Anthropozoologica

Publicatins scientifiques du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle

Lugar: Paris; Año: 2023

0761-3032

aim of this paper is to discuss the role of faunal remains in funerary contexts from SouthernPatagonia. We will particularly emphasize the information obtained in mortuary contexts fromLake Salitroso (Santa Cruz Province, Argentina). In this area a total of 37 burials of differenttypes, such as chenques (e.g. artificial rock burial mounds), burials under blocks and niches,have been studied. Results indicate low frequency of animal remains, mostly corresponding tofox (Lycalopex sp.) and guanaco (Lama guanicoe). Additionally, certain variability in skeletalpart representation has been detected. These characteristics are not reflected in the documentarysources of first European explorers in Patagonia, but are common in the regional archaeologicalrecord. Finally, another outcome of interest is the presence of animal remains deposited bynatural processes (rodents, edentates and carnivores). The results are contextualized withavailable regional ethnohistoric and archaeological information to discuss the role of animalspecies in the funerary practices of hunter-gatherer populations in southern Patagonia.