Human Taphonomy in Southern Patagonia: a view from the Salitroso Lake Basin (Santa Cruz, Argentina)

BARRIENTOS, G.; GOÑI, R.; ZANGRANDO A. F.; DEL PAPA, M.; GARCÍA GURÁIEB, S.; NEGRO, C.; ARREGUI, M. J.

Taphonomy and Zooarchaeology in Argentina

British Archaeological Reports (Oxford)

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2007; p. 187 - 201

In recent years, it has been proposed that among the main causes of the underepresentation o virtual absence of human bone remains dating from late Pleistocene to middle Holocene times in southern Patagonia, are a combination of mostly inconspicuous mortary practices and post-depositional processes contributing to a relatively high rate of bone tissue decay associated to most of open-air depositional environments. In this paper we discuss the later factor based on physical and chemical data collected from different types of human burials distributed in different settings on a lake basin located in north-western Santa Cruz province, Argentina. Our results suggest that bone mineral diagenesis, mediated by local hydrology uder a predominant recharge regime, probably is the key factor controlling survival at this region. As long as these conditions are widespread in Southern Patagonia, it is concluded that the implementation of new, more problem-oriented and taphonomically informed sampling strategies will be necesary in order to increase the probably of recovering early human remains.