Domesticated plants in the context of hunter-gatherers of final Late Holocene in Western Pampa (Argentina). Implications for macro-regional population dynamics.

BERÓN, MÓNICA ALEJANDRA; MUSAUBACH, GABRIELA

Mar Muerto

Congreso; WORLD ARCHEOLOGICAL CONGRESS 7; 2013

World Archeological Congrress

In the last 15 years studies on macro and micro remains of domesticated plants in contexts of hunter-gatherers from Pampa and Norpatagonia regions have increased, as well as its impact on the diet of these populations. For this purpose, various indicators and analytical ways have been integrated, such as contextual and isotopic studies, oral health, among others. Recently the timeframe for the use of domesticated plants in the macro region has been extended until the last 2000 years or so, while the spatial scale reaches from the mountain range area to the mount and pampean spinal (34 º to 40 º LS and 72 º to 63 º LO approximately). In some cases there has been the simultaneous use of both wild plants and cultigens, consistent with a period of environmental stress (medieval thermal maximum) and, subsequently, an increase in the intensification of general resources.In this presentation, novel data will be communicated referred to the presence of cultigens such as maize (Zea mays), Cucurbita sp and Phaseolus sp in hunter-gatherer contexts of Argentine Western Pampa and wild plants (Prosopis sp and Poaceae). These were detected from the observation of plant micro- remains (silicofitolitos and starch grains). This information will be integrated with other archaeological and bioanthropological indicators to discuss aspects of the dynamics of local populations in the last 1000 years, according to a social interaction model that privileges an east-west vector in large spatial scale.