SOUTHERN CONE - 1992 Fieldwork

Northwest. Elizabeth Pintar (Southern Methodist University [SMU]), Dolores Elkin (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnicas [CONICET]—Instituto Nacional de Antropología [INA]), and Carlos Aschero (CONICET—Universidad Nacional de Tucumán [UNT]) continued their archaeological investigations in the puna region of northwestern Argentina. Further excavation of the lower levels of the Quebrada Seca 3 (QS3) site has yielded radiocarbon dates of 9050 ± 90 B.P. (Beta-59930). As a result, this site now spans the entire Archaic period, ranging from ca. 9000 to 3500 B.P. In addition, two new sites downstream from QS3 have been tested: (1) Penas Chicas 1, which has yielded dates of 3590 ± 55 B.P. (Beta-59931) and 3680 ± 60 B.P. (Beta-59933), corresponds to the Late Archaic period; and (2) Alero don Vicente, not yet dated, which may contain early Archaic assemblages. The rich lithic, faunal, and botanical assemblages at all three sites offer results that promise to further our understanding of early Archaic hunter-gatherer adaptations and the beginning of camelid herding during the Middle to Late Archaic periods.

Beatriz N. Ventura (ICA) continues her survey work in the yungas (tropical, forested slopes) of Salta, Department of Oran, and her excavation at Pucara de San Andrés. The site, located on a hilltop at 2,100 m asl, consists of 30 stone architectural structures; most are circular in plan. Ventura also surveyed a section of the Río Querusillal and placed test pits in a circular structure at Puerta del Alto, located in the temperate cloud rainforest on the lower eastern slopes of the Andes. A large quantity of ceramics was recovered at the site, including a wide variety of forms, decorations, and paste types. The most diagnostic type was of the Arasayol Complejo, previously defined by Bernardo Dougherty. Bernardo also surveyed a lower-elevated sector of the premontane, subtropical forest in the Quebrada de Molino (750 m asl) and continued her longer-term ethnoarchaeological research on the use of space in the San Andrés, Querusillal, and Santa Cruz areas, where transhumant pastoralists-agriculturists migrate seasonally between the lower- elevated, premontane, subtropical forest and the higher-elevated, foggy grasslands.

Valliserrana, Mendoza, and Neuquen. Under the direction of Myriam N. Tarragó, M. C. Scattolin, L. Baldini, S. F. Renard, and L. R. Gonzaléz, the Museo Etnográfico (Universidad de Buenos Aires [UBA]) is involved in a long-term study of the Regional Developmental period in the Valliserrana region. The primary objective of the study is to define the origin and socioeconomic organization of late Prehispanic populations, including their settlement pattern, technology, and demography. In 1992, several new sites were surveyed, and excavations were performed in domestic units at Molinos 1 and Loma Alta. In addition, test pits were placed in 21 of 32 randomly stratified samples of 236 structures at Rincón Chico 1. Four radiocarbon dates have been processed: Molinos 1950 ± 50 B.P. (LP-236) and 1010 ± 50 B.P. (LP-329); and Rincón Chico 15, 960 ± 60 B.P. (LP-248) and 890 ± 50 B.P. (L-392). The research was funded by CONICET-PID (No. 3-001200/88).

Baldini reports that Molinos 1 is the first single-component residential site of the Regional Developmental period (A.D. 800—1100) in the Calchaquíes Valley of northwestern Argentina where concentrations of domestic units constructed of stone are spatially separated from the agricultural fields. The absence of other occupations in the site permits a unique examination of the technological and sociocultural factors associated with the development of Molinos 1. Sites of this nature have not been discovered previously because archaeologists have not been able to distinguish them from sites of the subsequent, more-ubiquitous Santamariana tradition. The systematic study of the distribution of ceramic styles associated with the Molinos 1 site suggests a denser human population than previously thought. Most Molinos 1 sites are located in lateral valleys.

Tarragó, M. E. Albeck, M. B. Cremonte, S. Sanchéz, and G. Sica (UBA) are also investigating late Prehispanic and Contact-period indigenous cultures of the Jujuy area. This study is focused on chronology and settlement-subsistence patterns and on factors accounting for the concentration of human populations in the middle valley during the early and late ceramic periods. To date, a surface survey has been carried out at Alfarcito, and subsurface testing has been performed at two other sites, SJuj Til 40 and 41. As part of these investigations, L. Laguna and H. Mamami (Universidad de Jujuy [UJI]) have directed chronological and stratigraphic analyses in midden areas and in two mounds at Pucara de Tilcara (SJuj Til 1). One large mound is located on a hilltop (B1); the other is near a domestic area in Barrio Corrales (B2). Several radiocarbon dates have been obtained for local sites: Tilcara 1 (Pucara), 800 ± 40 B.P. (LP-247); Tilcara 22 (Pueblo), 940 ± 60 B.P. (LP-336), 1190 ± 90 B.P. (LP-346), and 1025 ± 140 B.P. (LP-349). CONICET-PID funded the investigation (No. 3-031600/88).

Victor A. Núñez Reg�eiro (UNT) and his associates are using photographic documentation and ground-survey data to carry out an extensive settlement survey in the Tafí Valley (Province of Tucumán). Two categories of sites have been identified: pithouse sites of the traditional Tafí Formative period and sites with subterranean, rectangular structures of the later Santamariana tradition of the Regional Developmental period.

Núñez also has initiated archaeological excavation in a small mound that contains ceramics of the early Santamariana tradition and Spanish Contact period. He excavated a ceremonial mound at El Mollar, a site first tested and dated to Phase I of the Tafí tradition by Alberto Rex Gonzaléz in 1960. In an attempt to define the architectural characteristics and functions of the site, Núñez worked in a centrally located patio associated with a habitation area. The recovered materials are being dated by the optical simulated luminescence (OSL) technique. The new stratigraphic and chronometric data will be reconciled with the previous chronology established by Gonzaléz.

Marta R. A. Tartusi (UNT) renewed her archaeological study of cultural change in the Formative period and early Regional Integration period in the Campo de Pucara, Department of Andalgala, Province of Catamarca. The primary sites in the area are of the Alamito complex, dated between A.D. 300 and 500. The specific aim of her study is to understand the development of the Condorhuasi-Alamito cultural sequence and the subsequent emergence of the Aguada culture in the Ambato Valley. Photographic and ground-survey data have revealed the locations of several new, different types of settlements belonging to various cultural-developmental periods.

In November 1992, Tartusi excavated site S-O, located at 1,200 m asl, and exposed remnants of several ancient agricultural fields. Samples of seeds, bones, pollen, and soil were collected for analysis. She also found ceramic evidence, dated ca. A.D. 400, that supports the long-held hypothesis that the origin of the large, anthropomorphic, polychrome vessels of the Aguada culture of the Ambato Valley lies in the tricolor Alumbrera style that, in turn, was derived from the polychrome Condorhuasi style. Her findings also suggest strong links between the Ambato and nearby Campo de Pucara areas. The excavated materials are currently being dated by the OSL technique.

Paraná-Pampa. In 1992, Nora Franco (PREP-CONICET) continued her work on hunter-gatherer strategies of lithic-resource use in the Bonaerense Interserrana area, where raw material is scarce. She is finding a decrease in the weight and volume of quartzite cores recovered approximately 60 km from quarries, suggesting a threshold distance beyond which more-intensive use occurs. This may imply a specific economic use for raw materials. She also has discovered the presence of a large percentage of exhausted bipolar and rounded cores in sites located 60—80 km from quartzite quarries, indicating maximum use of this raw material. A similar pattern has been observed for distinct attributes of scrapers manufactured of chalcedony. Franco refers to this threshold distance as the "zona de indefinición," within which only generalized strategies of lithic-resource procurement occur. Based on these findings, she postulates a strong correlation between the form of cores and their distance from quarries.

Patagonia. During January—April 1991, renewed excavations were undertaken by David R. Yesner and Kristine J. Crossen (University of Alaska, Anchorage) at the Playa Larga site, 10 km east of Ushuaia, on the northern Beagle Channel in Argentine Tierra del Fuego. The project included completion of excavation of two late-prehistoric houses dating to the Recent phase of the Beagle Channel (ca. A.D. 1000—1500). These excavations have established longer-term occupation of Recent phase sites than previously suspected, based on the nature of semisubterranean house construction, depth of hearths, and seasonality of faunal remains. Lithic analysis is being performed by Luis Orquera and Debora Kligmann in Buenos Aires.

A long-term study by Yesner of prehistoric shellfish use was completed; this involved analyses of materials from Playa Larga, Tunél, Shamakush, and Río Pipo sites, all on the northern Beagle Channel. These studies, facilitated by a two-year modern shellfish collection by Adrian Schiavini of the Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas in Ushuaia, demonstrated year-round use of some sites (e.g., Tunél) and primary spring occupation of others (e.g., Playa Larga and Shamakush). Excavations at Playa Larga and the shellfish analysis were supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Anthropology Program and a Fulbright Research Fellowship.

In 1992, Luis Borrero (PREP-CONICET) was involved in several related projects. His work at Lago Argentina explored the effect of geographic barriers on the distribution of human populations. Part of this work entailed excavation at a guanaco-butchering site, El Sossiego. Borrero also carried out exploratory taphonomic and archaeological excavations in territory located between the La Leona and Horquetas Rivers, as well as in the Sierra Baguales area. He also continued his taphonomic work on guanaco bones, in northern Tierra del Fuego, as part of his long-term research program, "El Proyecto Magallania."

Patricia Campan (PREP) proceeded with her study of fish remains from several shell-midden sites in Tierra del Fuego, particularly Punta María 2. Her primary interests are (1) to ascertain the content and structure of fish-bone deposits, patterns of human exploitation of various species, and seasonality of procurement; and (2) to carry out taphonomic analysis and dietary reconstruction, including ratios of meat transport to consumption. Campan is also doing a typology and analysis of bone-tool technology in sites. Her preliminary findings from the historical-period San Pablo 4 site suggest that tools were made primarily of guanaco bone and secondarily of marine mammals. Both studies are part of the Proyecto Magallania.

Also in conjunction with Borrero's project, Juan Bautista Belardi (ICA-PREP) is involved in a long-term study of human and environmental relations in the Cerro Castillo region, Province of Chubut. Bautista is interested in the natural and cultural processes that formed the archaeological record and may explain its variability. To date, he has conducted (1) survey transects in several areas, and (2) limited excavations in rockshelters for the purpose of obtaining floral and faunal data to reconstruct the past environment. Trace-element analyses of obsidian and other resources also are underway, to identify patterns of long-distance exchange and intersite mobility. His preliminary findings suggest that foragers occupied the region primarily during the spring and summer. Two radiocarbon dates from Cueva La Rural, 1740 ± 90 B.P. (LP-371) and 2240 ± 90 B.P. (LP-359), suggest that the region may have been recently inhabited during what Borrero calls an "effective occupational period."

Bautista also is interested in the Río Santa Cruz as a cultural frontier. His preliminary findings suggest regional differences in the reuse of some areas and, in Lake Argentina, shorter and more-varied settlement-subsistence distributions than those in interior areas. To date, he has not found archaeological evidence to substantiate previous claims that major differences in settlement density and extraction technology existed between populations residing on the north and south banks of the Río Santa Cruz and that the river was a cultural boundary. He also notes that a higher density of bone and other artifactual debris occurs in lake sites.

Farther south, Bautista is applying cultural-ecological models to the spatial and temporal distributions of artifacts. Important components of his research are (1) interregional comparisons between site-formation processes in Tierra del Fuego and northern Patagonia, (2) survey transects of 1,000 m² to record different environmental zones and site distributions, and (3) excavation of sites to determine local and regional differences in the use of space.

In an effort to build a comparative faunal inventory and to study the role of avifauna in the Prehispanic economies of Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia, Florencia Savanti (PREP-CONICET), under the direction of Borrero, is examining the faunal remains from Bahia Crossley I on the Isla de los Estados and from María Luisa, Bahia Thetis, and Rancho Donata in southern Tierra del Fuego. When this study is completed, Savanti plans to carry out a comparative analysis using faunal collections from northern Tierra del Fuego. She is also conducting zooarchaeological, taphonomical, and experimental studies aimed at a paleoenvironmental reconstruction and better understanding of human resource strategies.

Also involved in faunal analysis is Florencia Borella (CONICET, Grant No. 0554), who is carrying out zooarchaeological and taphonomic studies in northern Tierra del Fuego. Her specific research goal is to understand the taphonomical processes that produced differential exposure of the archaeological record to natural processes of entropy, and to locate and extract high-quality environmental and archaeological data to resolve local and regional research problems. Borella reports that both lines of inquiry are converging to produce new, productive insights into the paleoecology and organization of past socioeconomic systems in the region.

María Fernanda Garcias (PREP-CONICET, Grant No. 0554) is attempting to elucidate processes of divergent cultural evolution in the northern and southern Straits of Magellan, in both Argentina and Chile. She is currently focused on the distribution of different lithic assemblages on the northern coast of Tierra del Fuego for the purpose of ascertaining cultural variability in the use of space by hunter-gatherer populations. The results of her study are being compared to data previously collected from the northern Straits of Magellan. She hopes to develop a model to explain spatial-temporal cultural variability in the study area.

Andrés Sebastian Múñoz (ICA) is studying the taphonomy of archaeological faunal remains from the Bloque Erratico 1, Punta María 2, San Pablo 4, María Luisa A3, María Luisa B5, Cerro Mesa, and Aleph sites, all located on the southern Atlantic coast of Tierra del Fuego. Múñoz is particularly interested in the natural and cultural agents impacting both the local and regional archaeofaunal records.

Nora Franco is working with Borrero's Proyecto Magallania in southern Argentina. Although lithic raw materials are ubiquitous in this area, there seems to be a "zona de indefinición" (see Pampa section, above), characterized by energy conservation manifested in the reclamation and reuse of previously manufactured cores and secondary sources of lithic raw materials. In this area, Franco is investigating manufacturing design traits, including the characteristics of raw material and the transportability of lithics. Complementing this investigation is her continued experimental research on differences in the effects of natural processes on the distribution of lithic artifacts. She also is surveying high-altitude mountain passes (1,100 m asl) in search of quarry and other sites.

During 1992, Christina Bellelli (INA) directed excavations at Campo Cerda 3, located in the middle Río Chubut Valley near Piedra Parada. The deeper levels of the site have yielded botanical remains, including fragments of knotted materials and woven baskets. Two radiocarbon dates have been obtained from the Laboratorio de Tritio y Radiocarbón at the Universidad Nacional de la Plata for Level 5, which contained the basketry. The dates are 1910 ± 80 B.P. (LP-388) and 2050 ± 110 B.P. (LP-385). The latter date represents the first occupation of the site. Both dates are the oldest for basketry in Patagonia.

Richard A. Guichón (CONICET) reports on a long-term research study of human skeletal collections from Tierra del Fuego that are housed in Chilean and Argentine museums. The project, directed by José A. Cocilovo, has identified two complementary research themes: biological affinities and relations among aborigines, as determined by univariant and multivariant analysis of cranial and somatometric measures. Guichón and Cocilovo also are applying ¹³C delta analysis to biological indicators of past health and diet of the populations. Guichóán also is involved in a bone-density study, with Dolores Elkin, as part of a broader biomechanical project headed by Dr. Ferretti.

Northern Chile—Atacama. José Berenguer (University of Illinois and Museo Chileno de Arte PreColombino [MCAP]), in conjunction with Pilar Allende (MCAP), reports on the first stage of his research project in Santa Barbara, funded by the Fondo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (FONDECYT; No. 0011-92) and the Wenner-Gren Foundation. Berenguer and Allende are concentrating on the socioeconomic links among 2 small habitation sites (SBa-103 and -119), 4 rockshelters, (SBa-85, -110, -141, and -144), and 16 small, walled enclosures associated with pictographs depicting llama-caravan traffic. All of these sites date to the Late Intermediate period and are located adjacent to a grassland habitat at 3,000 m asl in the upper Río Loa drainage. The first occupation, Conchi I (A.D. 1200—1300), is best defined at SBa-103, where Dupont-type bowls outnumber Ayquina-type bowls. This occupation is sparsely represented at SBa- 119 and entirely absent at the rockshelters and walled enclosures. The subsequent Conchi Phase II occupation (A.D. 1300—1470) is associated primarily with Ayquina bowls and large, constricted vessels of the Rojo Alisado type and secondarily with Dupont bowls. Phase II is most heavily represented at SBa-119, the rockshelters, and walled enclosures, and is almost absent at SBa-103. Both sites demonstrate strong ceramic links with Pukara de Turi and Topain village, located in the upper Río Salado, and the Pukara de Lasana in the middle Río Loa. All of these sites belong to the Lasana complex.

Preliminary findings suggest that SBa-103 and -119 were settlements of pastoralists and horticulturists, perhaps occupied by only two or three families. The quantity of functionally differentiated structures (34 in each site), the high frequency of bowls, and the low frequency of jars and large storage vessels support this interpretation. Berenguer also reports that both sites contain little evidence of meat consumption. The only faunal remains are of Llama glama , suggesting that this animal served as a beast of burden and as a provider of wool, meat, and other products.

The inhabitants of SBa-119 seem to have been heavily involved in caravan traffic. A small trail passes through an area of the site where geoglyphs (SBa-85, -110, -141, and -144) are found. The trail heads to the west and splits into two paths that eventually link with Turi and the southern altiplano of Bolivia. None of these features occurs at the earlier SBa-103 site. Interregional with SBa-119 are evidenced by marine shells (e.g., mitilido, Turritela cingulata , veneredies, and Concholepas conchulepas ) and nonlocal ceramics of the Chiza Modelado style from Tarapaca to the far north, the Hedionada style from southern Bolivia, and possibly the Yavi style from Jujuy, in northwestern Argentina.

The large quantity of fractured ceramics found on the surface of the walled-enclosure sites and the reconstruction of conjoining pieces suggest in situ breakage of vessels, a pattern similar to the ethnographically observed quiebras rituals carried out in the area today. Use wear and residues on the broken vessels indicate use in domestic contexts prior to breakage. Although similar vessels appear in sites SBa-103 and -119, they are of finer quality in the walled-enclosure structures, suggesting that the latter may be related to ceremonial activities. Other materials found at these sites include marine shells, copper jewelry, and small pieces of ground copper. (Similar types of jewelry are used today by local pastoralists.) The recovery of these objects in ceremonial sites, especially walled enclosures located on roads, may represent the type of cargo carried and temporarily stored by caravans passing through Santa Barbara. The depiction of tumis , axes, and other metal artifacts at rock-art sites may imply that these items were stored and traded as well. Given the contextual association of walled enclosures, roads, and caravan rock-art and geoglyph sites, it is likely that this suite of localities is related to long-distance caravan trade. Also important are the entryways to the semicircular, walled enclosures, which always face the highest mountain (where the principal deities reside). Based on ethnographic and ethnohistoric reports, it is known that the mountain deities were worshiped by caravan traders. In return, the deities provided protection and good fortune to travelers. All of these features suggest a local ideational expression of caravan traffic that linked roads, apachetas , walled enclosures, and mountain deities under the same semantic domain.

Valles Transversales—Central Valley. Funded by the Fondo Nacional de Ciencia y Technología (Grant No. 91-0089), Roberto Melendéz (Museo Nacional de Historia Natural [MNHN]), Fernanda Falabella (Universidad de Chile [UC]), and Loreto Vargas (Sociedad Chilena de Arqueología [SCA]) concluded their zooarchaeological study of different fish species in central Chile. In addition to formulating a classification system for osteological analysis and creating a reference collection, they conducted quantitative and regression analyses of 14 skeletal elements for several different species. These data permit the study of meat weight and economic-utility indexes for archaeological sites. This research also provides information on factors (i.e., shape, size, and density) controlling the differential preservation of skeleton parts for different species in various archaeological settings.

Falabella also was involved in a morphological and functional study of sherds representative of various ceramic periods. Specific attention was given to the measurement of ceramic (1) porosity, permeability, and density by immersing them in water; (2) conductivity by a Lees dispositive; (3) temperature of coction by dilatometric analysis; (4) elasticity by measure of resistance to flexion; and (5) resilience to impact resistance. Morphometry and use-wear studies were also conducted on sherds of various periods.

Roberto Morales, M. Ines Dinator, and Felipe Llona, physicists at the Universidad de Chile, joined Falabella, Varinta Varela (UC), and Eugenio Aspillaga (UC) in their PIXE elemental analyses of bone and ceramics from different archaeological contexts. The goal is to determine the vectors of trade-exchange relations by sourcing the proveniences of raw materials at sites LEP-C and El Mercurio.

Araucania. In conjunction with Tom D. Dillehay, Marsha Baenzinger (University of Missouri—Columbia) began a phytolith analysis of the habitational layer in the Monte Verde site. Her research goals are to (1) provide additional data on the paleoecology of the site environs, (2) study the economy and diet of the site's inhabitants, and (3) compare and contrast the phytolith findings with those of previous pollen and floral studies at the site.

In 1991 and 1992, Dillehay and Ximena Navarro (Universidad Austral de Chile [UACH]) continued their ethnoarchaeological, ethnohistorical, and archaeological research on the traditional Mapuche maritime economy along the south-central coast of Chile. The project is focused primarily on marine-resource tenure, usuary rights determined by patterns of kinship and residence, exchange of coastal products with interior agriculturists, and the use of marine products as ritual paraphernalia in the nguillatun ceremony. The preliminary findings show major differences in resource rights between groups living in large and small bays and between specialized and generalized shellfish collectors. Further, the maritime-oriented nguillatuns are significantly different from the interior, agriculture-oriented nguillatuns in terms of the use of ritual landscape and ideology. These and other patterns are being applied to the archaeological study of site structure and content.

Patagonia. In Chile, Borrero codirected a project with Mauricio Massone (Sociedad Chilena de Arqueología) in Ultima Esperanza, and excavated in the Dos Herraduras rockshelter. Bone remains of Mylodon darwini were recovered from culturally sterile deposits of volcanic ash. Cultural deposits dated ca. 2500 B.P. overlie the ash layer.

In a related project, Borrero and José Luis Lanata (UBA—University of Texas, Austin [UT]) published the results of their 1990 excavation in Mylodon Cave. This study refutes Earl Saxon's earlier hypothesis that extinct Mylodon darwini survived into the Holocene period. The new geological and faunal evidence suggests that, like other megafauna of the Pleistocene, Mylodon darwini was extinct by the early Holocene.

Canals. In March 1993, Patricia Curry (University of Cambridge) completed an exploratory survey of the central Chonos Archipelago, with support from Raleigh International. Approximately 50 sites were discovered on the coasts of Canals Errazuriz, Vicuña, Chacabuco, Pulluche, Alejandro, Estero Barros Arana, and intervening waters. There were two types of deposits, apparently distinguished by age. "New" deposits were comprised of well-preserved layers of various species of shellfish. These deposits ranged in size, up to an area of 50-x-140 m² and 5-m thick. Human remains were found within .5 m of the surface in several of these sites. "Old" sites appeared to be completely decayed shell middens, where only the periostrium of Choromytilus remained in layers of anthrosol. These deposits could be extensive, sometimes visible in beach cuts for approximately 100 m, but at present they are no more than 50-cm thick. Such deposits were often found beneath layers of sterile sediments. The distribution pattern of the sites varied: the "new" deposits were most common in the eastern portion of the survey region, and the"old" sites in the west. In one case, where both kinds of deposits occurred together, they were separated vertically by approximately 50 cm of sterile soil. All sites seemed to have been significantly eroded by a rising sea level, with at least 6 m lost laterally, and in some cases sites had been completely cut through by wave action.