Use of the plains vizcacha (lagostomus maximus) by indigenous societies in the Pampas ecoregion (Argentina)

Abstract

This chapter reviews the plains vizcacha (Lagostomus maximus) bone record from archaeological sites in the Pampas ecoregion. Information from 82 archaeological sites was collected from the literature, standardized, and assembled into a database. This study shows that this rodent is well-represented in the archaeological record. However, its presence does not always relate to human action but also to natural deposition processes. The number of vizcacha remains recovered from archaeological contexts is variable, and fndings mainly consist of fragmented cranial and postcranial elements. Evidence shows that the vizcacha was an important complementary resource for indigenous societies that inhabited the Pampas ecoregion from the Late Pleistocene to the Late Holocene. Regionally, the role of this rodent became more signifcant in the eastern end of the Tandilia Hills during the Late Holocene but remained unchanged in the rest of the Pampas.