Temporal changes in the utilization of marine resources by hunter-gatherers of the North-central Patagonian Atlantic coast during the Holocene

GÓMEZ OTERO, JULIETA; SVOBODA, ARIADNA

Global change in Atlantic coastal Patagonian ecosystems: A journey through time

Springer

Año: 2022; p. 319 - 348

We evaluated and discussed the temporal changes in the intensity and type of exploitationof marine resources - mollusks, fish, birds and pinnipeds - by hunter-gatherers thatinhabited the North-central Patagonian Atlantic coast from the mid Holocene (7400 years14CBP, hereafter BP) to the Natives-European Contact period (200 BP). Twenty-six faunalassemblages and thirty-two human individuals were analyzed through zooarchaeologicaland paleodietary studies (δ13C and δ15N). Analyses of human remains indicate that thenutritional spectrum was generally wide and included terrestrial and marine resources.Marine resources, especially mollusks and otariids, were important in the diet, but guanacoconsumption prevailed over time. Otariids were in general exploited in a low proportion,with the highest representation between 7400 to 3500 BP, and the lowest since 1000 BP.Fish and seabirds were not relevant resources for the local hunter-gatherers. Thearchaeofaunal assemblages after 2000 BP show an increase in the number of marine birds,a decrease in the number of fish but a rise in their taxonomic richness. During theseventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when horses were adopted, a reduction in marinefauna representation was determined. As compared to other Patagonian Atlantic coastsectors, the highest similarities were observed with the archaeological record of San Matíasgulf coast of Río Negro province and the northern coast of Santa Cruz province.