Spatial and temporal variability of fish use at the southern end of South America

ZANGRANDO A. F.

San Juan - Puerto Rico

Congreso; 71st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology; 2006

Society for American Archaeology

The archaeological record of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego (Southern End of South America) points out the existence of spatial and temporal variability in fish exploitation. In the Magellan-Fueguian archipelago, an intensification of the human use of fish was developed during the mid- and late- Holocene. The archaeological assemblages of this area show that a wide variety of fishing strategies were in place. This situation differed from what happened in the Atlantic coasts, where the available data suggest that the use of fish was a supplemental activity. Ecological and cultural factors related to this pattern are discussed.