Colonización humana de los canales fueguinos: revisión y perspectivas

ZANGRANDO, ATILIO FRANCISCO J.

Intersecciones en Antropologia

Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires

Lugar: Olavarría; Año: 2022 vol. 23 p. 153 - 166

1666-2105

This paper reviews observations presented by Luis Orquera on a recent proposal concerning the human colonization of marine environments in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. First, theoretical and methodological aspects of the identification and the study of pre-transgressive contexts are presented, with the need for such a perspective being based on the location of early coastal occupations. Second, the antiquity and mode of the first interactions between humans and the marine ecosystem in the Beagle Channel are examined by reviewing concepts and evidence of population discontinuity, the temporal structure of archaeological deposits, and human adaptation to the aquatic environment. Throughout this paper, a marked difference is observed regarding the theoretical positions and interpretations of the available evidence for the north coast of the Beagle Channel. Despite a long history of archaeological research in that region, the discussion developed in this paper suggests that the human colonization of the Fuegian channels requires further exploration of the coastal settings from new perspectives before a maximum age can be established for that process.