Obsidian Sourcing and Mobility Strategies in a High Elevation Desert in NW Argentina

PINTAR, ELIZABETH; MARTÍNEZ, JORGE G.; GLASCOCK, MICHAEL; FUNES CORONEL, JORGE A.

Sacramento, CA

Encuentro; 76th Meeting for the Society for American Archaeology; 2011

This paper explores hunter-gatherer mobility strategies in a high elevation desert in NW Argentina throughout the Altithermal, a period of extreme aridity during which some Puna regions were temporarily abandoned while others offered stable resources (“ecorefuges”).  XRF analyses were performed on obsidian tools and debitage from a series of occupation floors dated to ca. 8000 – 6000 BP from two sites in the Salt Puna in order to determine the source areas for 27 samples.  The results reveal the use of five different obsidian sources distant within 90km to the north, south and east from Cueva Salamanca 1 and Peñas de la Cruz 1, two rockshelters located in the remote region of Antofagasta de la Sierra (Catamarca province).  We will discuss first how this data throws light on obsidian acquisition, production and consumption prior to the better known studies of obsidian distribution networks of the Late Holocene and Formative in the Puna at large.  Second we will discuss the relationship between obsidian acquisition and mobility strategies during times of environmental stress, and how these strategies measure up to those of other prehistoric desert people.