Assessing Fishtail points distribution in the southern Cone

Abstract

This paper discusses possible causes affecting the distribution of Fishtail points in the southern Cone. This distribution is discontinuous, with large territories without diagnostic remains and areas where sites and points are concentrated. Also, most of the sites with this type of points exhibit few specimens, with remarkable exceptions in Uruguay, the Argentinian Pampa and Patagonia and southern Chile. We present thoughts arising from long term research in the central east Tandilia ranges, in the Argentinian pampas with information relevant to this discussion. We call the attention to the importance past social practices have in conforming current point distribution together with the history of research and site visibility. This issue is then considered in the broader regional scale. It is concluded that the discontinuous distribution observed is due to factors inherent to both the original occupations and to current research.