People and plants in the south-central Andes of Argentina: the case of Antofagasta de la Sierra, southern Argentinean Puna (ca. 5000-1000 years BP)

BABOT, MARÍA DEL PILAR; HOCSMAN, SALOMÓN

Dublin, Ireland, 29 de Junio al 4 de Julio de 2008

Congreso; Sixth World Archaeological Congress (WAC-6); 2008

World Archaeological Congress

In this paper we discuss the role of plant resources for the human groups that occupied Antofagasta de la Sierra, in the Argentinean portion of the south-central Andes, between ca. 5000-1000 years BP. These groups are considered to have been hunter-gatherer-pastoralists with a later adoption of horticulture-agriculture, but the focus has traditionally been on hunting resources instead of plant resources (wild or domestic). Nevertheless, in the last years, discussion of the role of useful plants had gained a central place and it is currently a main topic. In this framework, we explore the importance of these resources through the entire period of study, by using the intensification concept, and assess the way in which different practices related to the use of plants for food and other purposes impacted in the physiognomy of Punean flora.