Holocene hunter-gatherers in the Puna. Integrating bones and other zooarchaeological evidence in Antofagasta de la Sierra (Argentina).

MARIANA MONDINI; ELKIN, D. C.

Hunter-gatherers from a high-elevation desert. People of the Salt Puna, Northwest Argentina

British Archaeological Reports (BAR), International Series, Oxford

Año: 2014; p. 117 - 124

Zooarchaeological information is presented on Holocene archaeological sites in Antofagasta de la Sierra, in the Argentinean Puna, in order to understand huntergatherer subsistence strategies and predator/prey interactions in context. Taphonomic and zooarchaeological approaches are integrated based mainly on osteological data, and osteometric and dental analyses are complemented with microscopic fiber analyses to study camelid remains, which are the most abundant. Inter-site and temporal variability is discussed, as while vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) was preferentially exploited in most occupations, guanaco (Lama guanicoe) is quite abundant in some of them. This and other patterns are in turn compared to those in other Puna areas, and inferences on hunter-gatherer ecology are discussed, such as their incorporation in the regional faunal community and the intensification in their relationships to camelids.