Ocupaciones Humanas Del Holoceno Medio en Los Andes Del Norte Semiárido De Chile (31° S, Combarbalá): Función Del Sitio E Implicancias Para El Uso Regional Del Espacio

Méndez, César; Grasset, Sebastián; Jackson, Donald; Troncoso, Andrés; Santander, Borís

doi:10.4067/s0717-73562016005000003

Cited by 6 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Its position lends itself well to being visible (38.85 km 2 ) and having a view over the entire valley, attributes that make it an ideal lookout and point of reference (Méndez et al, 2009). At the site, an excavation of ~12 m 2 was carried out, in which the presence of four stratigraphic units was identified in a deposit of ~30–45 cm maximum depth (Méndez et al, 2016). The deposit consists mainly of aeolian sediments and in situ weathered rock material and is markedly homogeneous.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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New chronostratigraphic records of the early-to-middle Holocene in the north-central region of Chile indicate Andean foothills housed hunter-gatherers during pulses of extreme aridity

Grasset

Delaunay

Álvarez³

et al. 2021

The Holocene

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The scarcity of middle Holocene radiocarbon dates in different regions of the Andes has been interpreted as an indicator of discontinuity in human occupations in response to adverse environmental conditions due to marked aridity. In the subtropical Andes of north-central Chile and adjacent areas, this paucity has been detected in radiocarbon ages between 8000 and 6000 cal BP. A systematic programme of cave excavations with detailed chronologies in the Combarbalá area in the Andean western foothills at 31°S allows questioning the role these spaces and ecosystems played for hunter-gatherers throughout the Holocene. The elusive record of dateable material has been addressed by excavating deposits under rock-shelters which tend to trap sedimentary material. This dataset has been compared with the available climate records and shows a collation between the onset of various site chronologies during the early-to-middle Holocene and periods of extreme aridity. The organization of mobility and the role of Andean foothills for hunter-gatherer settlements is reviewed. Resource availability in the area, namely fresh water supply, good-quality toolstones, faunal resources, and shelters, attracted mobile populations to these environments as indicated by our records as well as others in the broader region.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While bird species are abundant, terrestrial fauna is scarce, with little diversity, and composed mainly of foxes ( Lycalopex ) and various rodents (Quintanilla, 1983). However, the archaeological record indicates that the large ungulate guanaco (Lama guanicoe) dominated throughout the Holocene (Méndez et al, 2016).…”

Section: Environment and Paleoenvironmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

New chronostratigraphic records of the early-to-middle Holocene in the north-central region of Chile indicate Andean foothills housed hunter-gatherers during pulses of extreme aridity

Grasset

Delaunay

Álvarez³

et al. 2021

The Holocene

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“…On the basis of a preliminary comparison on the bone tools register in the region, that should be further developed, we found differences in the two areas referred above. In the first instance, this comparison was made based on morphological criteria, which were complemented with evidence of use‐wear patterns published in other studies in the area (Méndez, Grasset, Jackson, Troncoso, & Santander, ; Santander & López, , ). This is how on the coast it is observed a homogeneity in the function of the bone tools, all which were mainly used for the exploitation of sea resources, through the use of bone barbs, harpoon heads, compound hooks, and fish hooks, which are identified by their diagnostic morphology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The coast shows a higher frequency and diversity of artefacts, if compared with inland sites, which suggests that bone tools were more functionally relevant in the coast. Also inland technologies were associated to the processing of soft and hard materials (Méndez et al, ; Santander & López, , ) and not to the procurement of food resources as it happened in the coastal areas. These differences could be explained by the particularities of the two areas, and the fact that the exploitable resources inland were procured using stone technologies, shown in the great diversity and popularity of projectile points (Ampuero & Rivera, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bone tools of Late Holocene hunter‐gatherer‐fishers of North‐Central Chile: Case study of the Punta Teatinos assemblage

Bravo

Troncoso

Santander

2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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During the Late Holocene, important changes can be identified in the social dynamics of hunter‐gatherer populations in different regions of the Southern Andes. These transformations are associated with processes of demographic growth, territoriality, increased social complexity, technological innovations, and intensified exploitation of the environment. One of the technological transformations associated with these processes is the popularization of bone instruments. In this study, we discuss the functions of bone tools made by Late Holocene coastal hunters‐gatherers of North‐Central Chile, by carrying out a morphological characterization and identifying use‐wear patterns on their surfaces. Our results show that bone technology was used for hunting, fishing, and gathering activities, from flint working to processing vegetal fibres and hide. A reduce number of artefacts had an ornamental use as well. These results suggest a varied and intensive exploitation of the surrounding space by coastal groups, where bones of land animals constituted an important part of the raw materials used in bone industry. Also, we argue that some bone artefacts were elements structuring social relations, as they participated in flows of information and social networks. We conclude by arguing that the popularization of bone industry reflects the dynamics of social complexity, as well as how bone was integrated as a productive, economic, and social resource in the process of coastal hunters and gatherers who inhabited the area.

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“…The beginning of the Archaic Period in northern Chile is marked by the extinction of large mammals such as the mastodon, and dates to c. 7000 BC to AD 200 (Kuzmanic and Castillo 1986). The new postglacial environment spurred a reorganization of subsistence, technology, and social organization (Ampuero 2010;Bogucki 1999;Méndez et al 2016). Archaic peoples were essentially food collectors who migrated seasonally following guanaco herds (Ampuero 1986;López et al 2016).…”

Section: Archaic Periodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skeletal Stress Markers and Subsistence Strategy in Prehistoric Chilean Populations of the Semi-Arid North

DiGangi

Gruenthal-Rankin

2019

Chungará (Arica)

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Human skeletal remains from prehistoric Chile's semi-arid north were analyzed using the Western Hemisphere Health Index to ascertain if subsistence change from gathering/hunting to agriculture was accompanied by a decline in physiological stress as measured by common skeletal stress markers for these coastal populations. Individuals analyzed dated to the Archaic (c. 7000 BC-200 AD, n=95) and Diaguita (c. 1000-1536 AD, n=75) periods. The Archaic individuals practiced gathering and hunting subsistence, relying on desert and ocean resources. The Diaguita practiced a subsistence strategy including agriculture, food collecting from the Pacific, and camelid pastoralism. As per health index methodology, seven indicators were scored (stature, linear enamel hypoplasia, dental disease, cribra orbitalia/porotic hyperostosis, infection, degenerative joint disease, and trauma). Results indicated equal health index values for both samples, although there were some differences in individual indicator values. The risk of having any pathology did not increase with age-at-death. Essentially, health as measured by common stress markers did not vary substantially after subsistence change. Such results are further evidence that the hypothesis of a health decline after subsistence change to agriculture is not always demonstrated, and it is important to elucidate what buffering variables beyond diet, to include cultural adaptations, may be at play.

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Ocupaciones Humanas Del Holoceno Medio en Los Andes Del Norte Semiárido De Chile (31° S, Combarbalá): Función Del Sitio E Implicancias Para El Uso Regional Del Espacio

Cited by 6 publications

References 25 publications

New chronostratigraphic records of the early-to-middle Holocene in the north-central region of Chile indicate Andean foothills housed hunter-gatherers during pulses of extreme aridity

New chronostratigraphic records of the early-to-middle Holocene in the north-central region of Chile indicate Andean foothills housed hunter-gatherers during pulses of extreme aridity

Bone tools of Late Holocene hunter‐gatherer‐fishers of North‐Central Chile: Case study of the Punta Teatinos assemblage

Skeletal Stress Markers and Subsistence Strategy in Prehistoric Chilean Populations of the Semi-Arid North

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