Use of coastal resources with special attention to fish in the lower basin of the Colorado River (Argentina)

MARTÍNEZ, G. A.; ZANGRANDO, A. F.; L. STOESSEL

México DF

Congreso; ICAZ International Conference; 2006

ICAZ

The main objective of this paper is twofold: a) to explore the human use of coastal resources in an ecotonal area located between Pampa and Patagonia regions during the late Holocene and b) to discuss its implications for human subsistence in the lower basin of the Colorado river. This river flows into the Atlantic ocean. The archaeological occupations took place between ca. 2800 – 300 years BP under semi-arid climatic conditions. This paper is focused on zooarchaeological evidence of fishbone assemblages recovered from sites through out the landscape. Fish remains, both marine and freshwater, are particularly abundant and diverse in some archaeological assemblages of the area. The ichthyoarchaeological analysis points out the existence of spatial variability in fish record and exploitation in a range that covers a distance of ca. 100 km from the coast. Based on the presence and frequency of marine fish remains in seashore and inland sites, the complete faunal record, and the stable isotope data from human bones a “coastal influence space” can be defined. The combination of these lines of evidence allows to characterize hunter-gatherer patterns of subsistence, diet, interaction and mobility between inland and coast.