Amalia Nuevo Delaunay

OCUPACIONES HUMANAS EN LA MARGEN OCCIDENTAL DE PATAGONIA CENTRAL: EVENTOS DE POBLAMIENTO EN ALTO RÍO CISNES

We present a synthesis of the research conducted at El Chueco 1 site (CIS 042). The archaeo- logical locality is a point of great significance for understanding the peopling dynamics in a marginally occupied area of Central Patagonia. The temporal extension (11.500 to 2.570 cal. years BP.) and discrete occupational event superposition make the excavated context a good measure for regional human pulses

Las Quemas Rockshelter: Understanding Human Occupations of Andean Forests of Central Patagonia (Aisén, Chile), Southern South America

Hunter-gatherer occupations of the forests of Patagonia are still not well understood compared to those of the open steppe and the coasts. The paucity of forest sites with a thorough chronological framework and the incomplete picture of climate-human dynamics in such environments pose a challenge to understanding the occupations of such habitats. This paper presents recent work at the Las Quemas rockshelter, an archaeological site located in the Andean forests of the Aisen region (44°38’ S) dating between 6100 and 2400 cal B.P. We examine the context of the site, its rock art, and the technological and functional dimensions of its lithic assemblage. By comparing these records with local environmental reconstructions that report forest area fluctuations after the Post-Glacial period, this study provides novel data for a comprehensive regional-scale model of human occupations in central Patagonian forests. Following an initial mid-Holocene occupation, recurring occupational events at the site coincide with a significant contraction of forested area in the region during the late Holocene. The results are discussed in regard to regional archaeological data and current models of forest occupation in Patagonia.

EVALUANDO EVIDENCIAS HUMANAS EN LA MARGEN BOSQUE-ESTEPA (>900 MSNM) DE PATAGONIA CENTRAL: CUEVA DE PUNTA DEL MONTE (REGIÓN DE AISÉN, CHILE)

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de las investigaciones arqueologicas llevadas a cabo en el sitio de la Cueva de Punta del Monte (Region de Aisen, Patagonia Central). La evidencia fue obtenida a traves de recolecciones superficiales, relevamiento del arte rupestre y una excavacion restringida. Pese a que es necesario considerar con precaucion la informacion 14C de este sitio, los resultados sugieren que las evidencias se enmarcan en los ultimos 5.660 anos calibrados. Los datos obtenidos son discutidos a escala regional con la intencion de ejemplificar la ocupacion de sectores donde colindan ambientes disimiles como son el bosque y la estepa. A partir de estos resultados preliminares, se discute la posibilidad que las evidencias esten reflejando una situacion de marginalidad en terminos geograficos.

CHENQUES EN EL CENTRO OESTE DE PATAGONIA (HOLOCENO TARDÍO FINAL, VALLE DE ÑIREHUAO, 45° S, CHILE)

espanolLa inhumacion tipo chenque se concentra en el ultimo milenio en el extremo mas austral del cono sur de Sudamerica. Los esfuerzos por entender esta modalidad, su distribucion espacio-temporal y el potencial de su informacion bioantropologica estan condicionados por el parcial muestreo espacial, la preservacion del material oseo y por el coleccionismo ilegal. En este articulo se presenta nueva informacion de cuatro chenques del valle andino de Nirehuao (Chile) en Patagonia central. Se busco obtener el maximo potencial de estos contextos aun cuando los restos se registraron en estado incompleto. Se sintetizan aspectos contextuales de la modalidad funeraria, se describen las caracteristicas bioantropologicas de los individuos, se presentan fechados radiocarbonicos y valores de isotopos estables del material oseo de cada uno de los individuos identificados y resultados de los analisis de composicion elemental del material metalico asociado a uno de ellos. A partir de ello, se confirma una antiguedad maxima de 1.510 anos cal a.p. para los chenques cercanos a los Andes de Patagonia Central, se muestran patrones isotopicos consistentes con dietas proteicas de amplio espectro y se revela la presencia de materiales exoticos sugerentes de un amplio traslado de bienes durante los siglos XII y XIII. EnglishThe chenque funerary-type concentrates in the last millennium in the southernmost area of the Southern Cone of South America. Efforts for understanding this funerary type, its spatio-temporal distribution, and thepotential of its bioanthropological information are conditioned by the partial spatial sampling, preservation of bone material, and illegal collecting. This paper presents novel information from four chenques of the Andean valley of Nirehuao (Chile) in central Patagonia. We sought to record the maximum potential of these contexts, even when the remains were recorded in incomplete state. This paper summarizes contextual aspects of the funerary type, describes the bioanthropological characteristics of the individuals, and presents the radiocarbon dates and the stable isotopes values on bone for each of the identified individuals, as well as the results of the elemental analysis of the metallic material associated with one of them. From this, we confirm a maximum age of 1510 cal years BP for the chenques close to the Andes of Central Patagonia, show isotopic patterns consistent with broad spectrum protein diets and reveal the presence of exotic materials suggestive of a wide-ranging transfer of goods during the 12 and 13th Centuries.