El uso de recursos vegetales entre los cazadoresrecolectores de la pampa occidental Argentina

BERÓN, MÓNICA A.; MUSAUBACH, MARÍA GABRIELA

Latin American Antiquity

Society for American Archaeology

Lugar: Washington; Año: 2016 vol. 27 p. 397 - 413

1045-6635

Investigations of macro- and microbotanical remains from hunter-gatherer sites in the Pampa and Norpatagonia region of South America have shed light on the role of plants in the diet of these populations. In a number of cases, scholars have identified the concurrent use of wild plants and domesticates through a number of distinct indicators and analytical methods. As a result, plant domesticates in the region can be dated back to as early as ca. 2000 years B.P., spanning a broad area from the Andean cordillera to the phyto-geographical provinces of the monte and the espinal (34° to 40° S and 72° to 63° W approximately). In this article, we present new evidence for the presence of maize (Zea mays) and wild cereals and legumes (Prosopis sp. and Poaceae) in hunter-gatherer contexts of the Western Pampa of Argentina. These data come from the analysis of plant microremains in ceramic materials, grinding artifacts, and human teeth and elucidate the role of plants for these societies. Comparisons with previous studies of wild and domesticated plant use in the region reveal patterns of plant use by hunter-gatherers at a macro-regional scale.