Human Biogeography, Life Histories and Bioavailable Strontium in the Southern Andes (Argentina and Chile)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Patagonian Evolutionary Archaeology and Human Paleoecology: Commending the Legacy (Still in the Making) of Luis Alberto Borrero in the Interpretation of Hunter-Gatherer Studies of the Southern Cone" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

While regionally focused in Patagonia, Luis Borrero’s research has contributed to shape archaeological practice beyond this region, encompassing South America at large. As a regional case attesting his widespread and multifaceted intellectual influence, here we assess the spatial scales and geographical organization of past human societies from the southern Andes (Argentina and Chile, 32º-34º S), involving aspects of paleomobility, life histories, and patterns of highland occupation. We focus on the last 2500 years, a period characterized by intense socio-economic and demographic change. These issues are analyzed in a biogeographical framework inspired by Borrero’s approach to the archaeology of large regions, where the concepts of nodal and internodal areas have a key role. To achieve this goal, we present the results of an ongoing project studying strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) from plant, animal, and human samples. Strontium isotopes vary according to bedrock and can be used to infer the sources of dietary strontium, hence revealing human movements between geologically distinct areas across the Andes. By integrating these results in a biogeographic scheme informed by multiple archaeological proxies, we define scale of territories, behaviorally meaningful archaeological regions, and patterns of social interaction across regions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Patagonian Evolutionary Archaeology and Human Paleoecology: Commending the Legacy (Still in the Making) of Luis Alberto Borrero in the Interpretation of Hunter-Gatherer Studies of the Southern Cone

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23910