Diversity of birds and mammals uses on the Atacama desert coast, northern Chile (20°S): a case study of the Middle Holocene

Abstract

The exceptional preservation conditions of the archaeological record along the coast of the Atacama Desert (Northern Chile) allow detailed analyses of the differential utilization of fauna by specialized hunter-gatherer-fisher societies. This paper presents the zooarchaeological study of the site PQB2_CON_002_SA, dated to the Middle Holocene (6772 ± 35 to 5962 ± 32 14C years BP). The objectives are to characterize the capture and processing practices of mammals and birds, determine their uses for technological purposes and as food sources, and establish changes or continuities in the roles of these taxa at sites in the region. The results indicate that cormorants and pelicans were predominantly captured and used for food and technology. The otariids were used for raw materials procurement such as bones, hides, and internal organs, which were employed as containers, in addition to their nutritional use, in an environment where camelids were a very marginal resource.