Anthropological Perspective of the Human-Guanaco (Lama guanicoe) Interaction over the Last 6000 Years in the Piedra Parada Area (Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina)

Abstract

Guanaco biological information is crucial for archeologists in order to understand the role of this camelid in past societies. In contrast, little relevance is given to archeological or anthropological knowledge to understand the modern guanaco populations. To highlight the potential contributions of these disciplines to guanaco management and conservation, here we provide a dual perspective (general and case study) on the long and close human–guanaco relationship in Patagonia. As a general trend, we show how the relationship of both species exceeds that of predator–prey and how some social processes of the last two millennia increased human disturbance on the guanaco. Also, we point out how the arrival and interaction with Europeans and the introduction of the horse triggered further changes. We agree with the biologists that the disarticulation of the indigenous way of life at the end of the nineteenth century was the turning point in human–guanaco interaction in Patagonia. The case study—Piedra Parada area (NW of Chubut)—shows some differences concerning the general picture, which is useful to understand the current populations at this scale. While the exact value of long-term patterns has yet to be established, one species’ story cannot be told without the other.