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Cueva Huenul 1 Archaeological Site, Northwestern Patagonia, Argentina: Initial Colonization and Mid-Holocene Demographic Retraction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Ramiro Barberena
Ramiro Barberena*
Affiliation:
Conicet, Laboratorio de Paleoecología Humana—Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, República Argentina, (ramidus28@gmail.com)
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Abstract

In this paper 1 present an intensively dated chrono-stratigraphic sequence for the Cueva Huenul 1 archaeological site, Neuquen Province, Argentina. Located in the inland deserts of northwestern Patagonia, Cueva Huenul 1 offers a remarkable temporal record of events for a largely unstudied desert region. I connect this local record with available data on a macroregional scale to reassess (1) the timing of the first human colonization of the area and its implications for explaining the extinction of megafauna (ca. 14,000-10,000 cal B.P.) and (2) the decrease in human occupation recorded in several South American deserts during parts of the mid-Holocene (ca. 8000-6000 cal B .P.). The data presented here show a gap of about 1,500 calendar years between the extinction of megafauna and the appearance of humans. A review of evidence from the northern Patagonia and southern Cuyo regions is consistent with this record, favoring ecological causes for regional extinction ofmegafaunal taxa. Integration of this record with those indicating the earliest human presence in South America (e.g., Monte Verde, Chile) is consistent with a process of human radiation to the inland Patagonian deserts from nodes of initial occupation. The chrono-stratigraphic sequence from Cueva Huenul 1 also contributes to an assessment of a trough in human occupation along the South American Arid Diagonal around 8000-6000 cal B.P. Evidence for a decrease in occupational intensity during this period is found in the highland and lowland deserts in Mendoza and San Juan, the Puna region in northwestern Argentina, the Atacama Desert in Chile, and possibly the Pampean region. Previous researchers have suggested that persistent arid conditions would have produced increasing landscape fragmentation, particularly affecting desert areas. A more specific understanding of the demographic processes underlying this archaeological signal is needed. In this paper I suggest that this trough reflects not only spatial and social rearrangements, but also a macro-regional demographic retraction. This could have caused a population bottleneck with lasting biological and cultural implications.

Resumen

Resumen

En este trabajo presento la secuencia crono-estratigráfica del sitio arqueológico Cueva Huenul 1 (Provincia del Neuquán, Argentina), la cual ha sido datada en forma intensiva. El sitio se emplaza en el desierto del noroeste de Patagonia y presenta un registro excepcional de eventos históricos para una región escasamente estudiada. Vinculo este registro con la informatión disponible en una escala macro-regional y reanalizo (a) la fecha de la primer presencia humana y sus implicancias para la extinción de la megafauna (∼14000-10000 ahos cala.P.); y (b) la disminución en la intensidadde la sehal arqueológica registrada en múltiples desiertos de Sudamárica en partes del Holoceno medio (∼8000-6000 ahos cal a.P.). Los datos revelan un hiato de ∼I500 ahos calendáricos entre la primera presencia humana y la última presencia de megafauna. Una revisión de la evidencia disponible para el norte de Patagonia y el sur de Cuyo es consistente con este registro local, favoreciendo una causa ecoldgica para la extincion de la megafauna. La integration de este registro con aquellos que reflejan la ocupacion mas temprana de Sudamerica (v.g. localidad Monte Verde) sugiere unproceso de radiation humana desde los nodos de colonization inicial a ambientes marginales de Patagonia. La secuencia crono-estratigrdfica de Cueva Huenul 1 tambien contribuye a una evaluatión de la disminución ocupacional registrada en torno a 8000-6000 ahos cal a.P. Este registro abarca desiertos de altura y planicies bajas de las Provincias de Mendoza y San Juan en Cuyo, la Puna en el noroeste de Argentina, el desierto de Atacama en Chile, a los cuales se suma el posible caso de la región pampeana. Diversos investigadores nan propuesto que condiciones dridas persistentes habrian producido un proceso de fragmentation del paisaje que afectó a áreas desérticas en particular. Actualmente, se requiere un análisis más específico de los procesos demográficos que subyacen esta sehal arqueologica macro-regional. Aqui sugiero que esta disminucidn en la intensidad de la sehal arqueologica refleja no sólo una reorganizatión espacial, sino tambien una retractión demogrdfica, que podría haber conducido a un cuello de botella poblacional con importantes consecuencias biológicas y culturales.

Type
Articles
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , September 2015 , pp. 304 - 318
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2015

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