Changes in the Technological Organization and Human Use of Space in Southern Patagonia (Argentina) During the Late Holocene

Abstract

Hunter-gatherers use technology to solve problems posed by the natural and social environment (e.g., Nelson 1991; Bousman 1993). The purpose of this paper is to document the available information on technological and behavioral changes in the southern part of the Upper Santa Cruz River Basin during the Late Holocene and to examine their possible relationships with environmental changes. To simplify our task, we have defined five periods that seem to differ in both climate and the characteristics of human occupation. For clarity, we will discuss each period in turn from the oldest to the most recent. Periods I and II were characterized by relatively high precipitation in the Andes, but they differ in that there is evidence of human activity at the Rio Bote 1 (RB1) archaeological site on the steppe during Period I but no evidence whatever that this site was used during Period II. Periods III and V constitute what appear to be the driest intervals in the Andes during the last 6000 years (ca. 300 and 200 mm/year precipitation, respectively) and have only limited evidence of human activity. Period IV has evidence that humans used both the Andes and steppe at this time and differs from the other four periods in that the climate fluctuated dramatically between wetter and drier conditions much more than at other times (from ca. 300–400 mm/year over periods of ca. 200–300 years).