Land use and risk management in the Diamante Valley, northwestern Patagonia, Argentina

Abstract

This research discusses land use in three ecological zones from the Diamante Valley: the highlands, the piedmont, and the lowlands—while focusing on mobility and the lithic organization of prehistoric hunter-gatherers. To determine the differences in land use, the fieldwork for this research involved a systematic random sample of surface deposits from 400 one-hectare units within a 100 km2 area in each ecological zone, followed by lithic analysis of the materials recovered. The piedmont contains the highest density of human activity, followed by the highlands, and then the lowlands. In the lowlands, the relative absence of evidence for human activity suggests this was an unfavorable place for people to live. However, geomorphology, site formation processes, and visibility, may also be a plausible cause of the lack of findings. In both the piedmont and the highlands, larger sites close to watercourses and raw materials were occupied repeatedly. Across the region, the most common raw material was basalt, followed by cryptocrystalline, and then obsidian. Chipped stone implements and fragments in the highlands were smaller than in the other areas. In the highlands, the most abundant camps were of medium size, possibly located and organized to support logistical foraging trips to acquire resources in a patchier environment. I examine how patterns of human mobility complement the use of resources across different ecological zones, nothing that the piedmont, which is accessible all year round, was used the most. These findings contribute to our understanding of the diversity of evolutionary trajectories of small-scale groups in marginal environments by the use of a variety of adaptive strategies.