Amigo Oeste hill, nodule in the finipleistocenic social network in South America.

MIOTTI LAURA; TERRANOVA ENRIQUE

La Plata

Simposio; V Simposio Internacional: El poblamiento Temprano de América: a un siglo del debate Ameghino-Hrdlika; 2010

Key objective in the study of Patagonia peopling had been to explore how and when began human occupation in northern sector of this region (Neuquén, Río Negro, and Chubut provinces). Before XXI century archaeological information was scarce and heterogeneous. For Somuncurá plateau, the main hypothesis was that the peopling of this zone occurred during late Holocene. In this paper we present new evidence which allow us reformulate the antiquity of the peopling. We show main archaeological evidence about Los Dos Amigos (LDA) locality, in north edge of Laguna de Las Vacas, in Somuncura high plateau. During 2008 fieldwork was discovered a particular archaeological context on top hill of Amigo West island mount (AW); there was recovered a hundred points well known as “Fish tail point” (FTP). Several of them appear broken and recycled or revived, but there are items rejected too. Three discoidal stones, one small polishing sphere (2 cm in diam), and abundant lithic artifacts are associated on top hill at FTPs. This specific context allow us to infer that main activities carried out in the past should be related to furniture specific site with curation of FTPs. The locality not only is a good technological context of finipleistocenic/holocenic occupation, it also being a place of the island mount into plain surrounding landscape and its of the area; the differential use of space by first hunter-gatherers implies the people had good knowledge about the space and, in this sense, they inhabit creating new dialogs between landscape and they self. The use of the top hill like occur in others particular places of Pampa and Patagonia (Cerro El Sombrero, Cerro de Los Burros, Fell cave) allow us to suppose that during exploration and colonization of Patagonia empty space, the people need reinforce social communication and in sites such as LDA, this appears with high archaeological signal.