From the arid core to the Atlantic coast of North Patagonia: Long-distance human mobility during the Late Holocene revealed by δ18O isoscape spatial modeling

Abstract

Mobility constitutes a key variable for human adaptation and it is particularly important in extreme environments such as deserts. The desert characteristics and archaeological information from Center-East Neuquén suggest long-distance mobility patterns linking this area with other regions of North Patagonia, Argentina. However, this topic has received little attention, and the mobility patterns at macro-regional scale have remained unexplored. The aim of this study is to explore the mobility patterns of human groups from Center-East Neuquén within the context of Northern Patagonia populations during the Later Middle-Late Holocene (ca. 6000-200 years BP) using stable isotopes (δ18O) and spatial modelling. The results of the present work suggest that groups from Center-East Neuquén moved through the Negro River basin toward the Atlantic coast, clearly differing from the δ18O values of individuals buried in and drinking water available close to the Andes mountain range. Based on the evidence contributed by this work, as well as by previous studies, it is possible to argue that North Patagonian rivers acted as megapatches with relatively high resource concentration, which were occupied during the final Late Holocene (ca. 2500 BP) by human groups that probably moved along them procuring food and likely following a seasonal schedule.