Lithic Technology in the Semi-arid Center of Argentina: Use of Internodal Spaces Among Hunter-Gatherers in the Late Holocene

Abstract

In arid and semi-arid environments of central Argentina, archaeological research agendas are implemented to understand the ways in which human groups explored and inhabited these spaces. In this chapter, we seek to address the use of space and mobility of hunter-gatherer populations that occupied a sector of the arid and semi-arid center of Argentina, known as the Travesía Puntana (Puntana Traverse). This name is probably motivated by the difficulties faced by the HispanicCreole populations to generate routes and enclaves in its interior, mainly due to the scarcity of surface water. However, such a European notion is contested by the archaeological evidence. The sites are located in dunes with little or no vegetation, which functioned as ecorefuges thanks to the presence of high-quality water in the nearby groundwater. It was recently proposed that the Travesía Puntana was part of an internodal space where human activities were infrequent, ephemeral, or non- existent in relation to neighboring regions. To investigate the role of this internode we carried out the technological study of 66 sets of surface lithic artifacts and the geochemical analysis of obsidian artifacts. These two lines of research are adequate to answer questions about social interaction and circulation of information or objects. The results show the input of rocks and tools with different vectors and distances from non-local sources. We believe that in these landscapes, the dunes favored dynamics of “population convergence,” as places of potential shared use.