Hearths, firewood availability, and intensity of occupations in the Central Plateau of Santa Cruz (Southern Patagonia, Argentina)

Abstract

In this paper, I analyze the characteristics of the hearths found at the archaeological sites from the Central Plateau of Santa Cruz, Patagonia, Argentina. I look for similarities and differences between combustion structures found at Pleistocene/Holocene transition and middle Holocene sites, since these two periods show many differences in other aspects of human behavior. I also review palynological, ethnohistoric, and ethnographic information to learn about potential firewood availability in the past. Results suggest the existence of two different scenarios. During the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, firewood availability was low. This scarcity could be one of the reasons why occupations in the Central Plateau were of low intensity. Brief occupations involved the construction of simple flat hearths, which were located well inside the rock shelters. Since many of the sites were reoccupied several times, numerous hearths are recorded located very near one to each other. During the Middle Holocene, the diversity and abundance of firewood is relatively higher, and the intensity of occupations increased. More intense and functionally different occupations involved a higher diversity of combustion structures. Finally, the internal distribution of hearths in rock shelters shows a more dispersed pattern. However, taphonomic analyses should be performed in the future to verify the plausibility of these scenarios.