The human occupation of northwestern Patagonia (Argentina): Paleoecological and chronological trends

BARBERENA, R.; PRATES, L.; DE PORRAS, M.E.

QUATERNARY INTERNATIONAL

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2014 vol. 356 p. 111 - 126

1040-6182

In this paper we compile and analyze an exhaustive database of paleoecological information and 14C dates from archaeological sites in northwestern Patagonia (Argentina, South America) in order to assess the macro-regional distribution of human populations since the Late Pleistocene, and its relation with the evolution of Patagonian climate and landscapes. We explore the spatial and temporal distribution of evidence during this period and discuss potential sampling biases affecting the record in different ecological conditions. The analysis is set in the frame of three main ecological regions that have implications for human subsistence: Andean forest, grass steppe, and shrub steppe. The intensity of the archaeological signal differs among these regions through time, being stronger and more homogeneous in the grass steppe. In the Andean forest and the shrub steppe the signal is weaker and absent during some short periods of the Middle Holocene. We identify likely sampling biases producing these tendencies, since these three regions present variable research cover and intensity. On the other hand, we also suggest that these differences may reflect variations in the intensity of human occupation of the different regions. This macro-regional synthesis of the paleoecology and archaeology of northwestern Patagonia provides a platform for developing future oriented research at smaller analytical scales.