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In this article, we present an isotopic perspective of key research questions in Andean bioarchaeology, focusing on the ways in which stable and radiogenic isotope analyses have contributed to our understanding of the past. Andean archaeology offers a window into long‐term processes of economic, socioecological and political change since the mid‐Holocene, thus providing historical trajectories of socio‐ecological change relevant for global comparison. The spatial scale of this review includes the areas traditionally identified as the south‐central Andes and the southern Andes. These ecological scenarios are characterised by marked topographic, climatic and ecological variations that are fruitful for the application of isotopes to understand diet, mobility, migration and ritual in past human societies. Within the broader Andean context, here we focus on the growth of bioarchaeological applications of isotopic data. We discuss some major themes of economic production, mobility and exploitation of environmental diversity, maize agriculture, migrations in small‐ and large‐scale societies and ritual practices related to human sacrifices and body modifications. Building on this, we discuss theoretical and methodological trends and directions for future research combining bioarchaeology and isotopes in the Andes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimization of techniques for recovering parasitic remains is key in paleoparasitology. The Mini-FLOTAC technique (MF) is based on passive flotation and is used for diagnosis of parasites and was never tested on ancient samples. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of MF in paleoparasitology, aiming at improving the techniques for the recovery of parasitic remains in order to upgrade the interpretative potential of the paleoparasitological evidence. Three techniques were tested: MF, spontaneous sedimentation (SS), and centrifugation-sucrose flotation (CF) testing camelid and goat coprolites. Statistical tests were performed with the R software. Our result displayed that, in the case of SAC samples, MF recovered less number of parasitic species than SS, but obtained a greater number of positive samples for protozoa. For goat samples, MF recovered a higher number of positive samples and parasitic species than SS, added that it was the technique that recovered a greater number of parasite structures. Therefore, results vary according to the zoological origin of the samples and the parasitic species recorded. We suggest starting using MF on ancient samples as a complementary method to those traditionally used in paleoparasitology. It is important to highlight that MF was a simple and faster way. The incorporation of reliable quantitative techniques opens the door to a new way of analyzing archaeological remains, deepening the study of the parasite-host relationships and its evolution through time with an epidemiological approach. Although further studies are needed, our results suggest the complementarity of these techniques in future paleoparasitological studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large anthropogenic 14C datasets are widely used to generate summed probability distributions (SPDs) as a proxy for past human population levels. However, SPDs are a poor proxy when datasets are small, bearing little relationship to true population dynamics. Instead, more robust inferences can be achieved by directly modelling the population and assessing the model likelihood given the data. We introduce the R package ADMUR which uses a continuous piecewise linear (CPL) model of population change, calculates the model likelihood given a 14C dataset, estimates credible intervals using Markov chain Monte Carlo, applies a goodness-of-fit test, and uses the Schwarz Criterion to compare CPL models. We demonstrate the efficacy of this method using toy data, showing that spurious dynamics are avoided when sample sizes are small, and true population dynamics are recovered as sample sizes increase. Finally, we use an improved 14C dataset for the South American Arid Diagonal to compare CPL modelling to current simulation methods, and identify three Holocene phases when population trajectory estimates changed fromrapid initial growth of 4.15% per generation to a decline of 0.05%per generation between 10 821 and 7055 yr BP, then gently grew at 0.58% per generation until 2500 yr BP [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northwestern Patagonia is located in a tectonically active part of the southern Andes (Argentina), which has facilitated the formation of obsidian, including pyroclastic deposits that have been affected by geomorphic processes, resulting in a complex obsidian landscape. To date, the geomorphic relocation of obsidian in the landscape has not been a focus of systematic research, and this hampers our understanding of prehistoric human mobility. We present an updated assessment of the regional availability of different obsidian types based on results from our research program, which combines geoarchaeological survey and geochemical characterization to understand the properties and distribution of obsidian. This robust "source‐scape" provides the foundation for reconstructing patterns of lithic provisioning and discard. Our results suggest that interpretations of obsidian availability across the landscape should be more nuanced than is typically acknowledged. Based on our improved "source‐scape," we discuss the patterns observed in an archaeological X‐ray fluorescence database. When compared with the geoarchaeological reconstruction of obsidian availability, the archaeological record conforms to a distance‐decay pattern. Contrary to previous interpretations, we suggest that the distribution of obsidian types is not isomorphic with human home ranges. This geoarchaeological research program provides a basis for integrating the archaeological record of different Andean regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The goal of this article is to assess the scale of human paleomobility and ecological complementarity between the lowlands and highlands in the southern Andes during the last 2,300 years. By providing isotope results for human bone and teeth samples, we assess a hypothesis of 'high residential mobility' suggested on the basis of oxygen isotopes from human remains. Methods We develop an isotopic assessment of human mobility in a mountain landscape combining strontium and oxygen isotopes. We analyze bone and teeth samples as an approach to life-history changes in spatial residence. Human samples from the main geological units and periods within the last two millennia are selected. Results We present a framework for the analysis of bioavailable strontium based on the combination of the geological data with isotope results for rodent samples. The 87Sr/86Sr values from human samples indicate residential stability within geological regions along life history. When comparing strontium and oxygen values for the same human samples, we record a divergent pattern: while δ18O values for samples from distant regions overlap widely, there are important differences in 87Sr/86Sr values. Conclusions Despite the large socio-economic changes recorded, 87Sr/86Sr values indicate a persisting scenario of low systematic mobility between the different geological regions. Our results suggest that strontium isotope values provide the most germane means to track patterns of human occupation of distinct regions in complex geological landscapes, offering a much higher spatial resolution than oxygen isotopes in the southern Andes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introductory overview presents the frame of research and general goals of the special volume “Archaeological Discontinuities: Comparative Frameworks for the southern hemisphere”. We begin by deconstructing archaeological discontinuities in terms of time and space in order to assess what sort of past phenomena are we dealing with when assessing discontinuities in different scales. It is one of our main contentions that we need theory and data connecting discontinuities as recorded on different analytical scales, thereby contributing to evaluate often-undescribed mechanisms that produce archaeological discontinuities. On this basis, we face the key task of deconstructing archaeological discontinuities from ‘top to bottom’, moving from the averaged material record that is visible in archaeological scale toward the short-term human decisions and interactions that, when occurring cumulatively, produce those discontinuities. Nevertheless, while an understanding of the short-term behavioral mechanisms and social agency behind discontinuities is necessary, it is certainly not sufficient for building a frame in which to make sense of the long-term record. Archaeological discontinuities recorded at different spatial scales require different explanatory mechanisms that can be connected hierarchically. The most productive analytical take here would be to move from the bottom to the top, building from the site or local scales to the regional and continental levels. This strategy provides a solid frame for assessing the genesis of discontinuities at different scales by disentangling the incidence of sampling deficiencies in the field, the selection of samples for chronometric dating, taphonomic biases, the reorganization of mobility and technology, local and regional abandonments, and actual demographic changes. We finish by selecting a few issues that we consider worthy of systematic comparative attention in the years to come. These issues impinge on different levels of theory and methods and can only be pursued with an interdisciplinary focus that encompasses not only archaeology but also ethnography, genetics, linguistics, paleoclimatology and paleoecology. We are convinced that there is much to learn from a comparative perspective in terms of structural similitudes in historical processes across regions and continents. The conceptual structure of a number of debates from South America, Africa, and Australia on is remarkably similar, notwithstanding important differences in terms of chronology and tempo. We look forward to international joint endeavors such as this one that help to formalize questions and data-collecting strategies for the southern drylands and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on previous research at smaller scales, in this paper we assemble paleoecological data and archaeological time-series for deserts located in three latitudinal bands along the South American Arid Diagonal (16°–41°S, ∼1,236,000 km 2 of area). Diverse proxies suggest the existence of arid and extremely arid conditions in large parts of these deserts. Working with a database composed of 914 archaeological dates falling between the first human presence in each region and 3000 years BP, which produce a minimum number of 578 occupational events, we identify a series of patterns at a macro-regional scale: a robust increase in the temporal signal at the beginning of the mid-Holocene (8000–7600 years BP) followed by two troughs (7600–7200, 6800–6400 years BP) during this period. The spatial scope of the data presented provides an opportunity for disentangling processes of spatial re-localization from actual changes in population size. We present a demographic hypothesis at a macro-regional scale, which suggests the existence of mid-Holocene population bottleneck(s). This hypothesis would account not only for the mid-Holocene troughs, but also for the posterior record of an intense and relatively rapid population growth (release) observed in many regions of the arid diagonal. These mid-Holocene events provide the context for independent trajectories of economic intensification based on different sets of resources -marine foods, camelids, and also probably wetland resources-, some of which lead to domestication processes. These cases occur in association with a tendency towards reduced residential mobility in regions that may have acted as refugia during arid periods of the mid-Holocene. The analysis produces testable expectations for future research at different scales and for different research domains, including human DNA and morphometric evidence. We consider that these issues have a fecund comparative potential, since the analysis of the socio-demographic meaning of archaeological discontinuities in different continents shares a similar conceptual structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have carried out long-term comparative in a wide latitudinal range of the Andes (29°–37° south), encompassing selected areas that differ in ecology and biogeography. This latitudinal span shows diversity in subsistence modes across time and space, ranging from Andean agro-pastoralists in the north to Patagonian hunter-gatherers in the south. As part of this research, a program of geochemical and archaeological characterization of obsidian sources and distributions is being developed, attempting to assess connections between different biogeographical contexts. This work has allowed recognizing five Andean sources with different geological and topographical properties. Stemming from this macro-regional endeavor, in this paper we present a comparative analysis of the human use of two sources that, based on the intensity of human use on a macro-regional scale, can be interpreted as ‘minor’ sources. This study is framed on GIS least-cost models for human circulation across rugged landscapes allowing access to the sources. We assess temporal and spatial patterns of human occupation of high-altitude Andean deserts and neighboring areas comparing two of obsidian sources: Laguna del Diamante (34° S) and Cerro Huenul (36° S). The results indicate the existence of asymmetric distributions, particularly in the case of Laguna del Diamante. This evidence is used to assess the existence of dominant geographic vectors of human access and use of the Andean highlands. On this basis, we explore the analytical potential of minor sources for the study of human biogeography and organization of technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I present an intensively dated chrono-stratigraphic sequence for the Cueva Huenul I archaeological site, Neuquén Province, Argentina. Located in the inland deserts of northwestern Patagonia, Cueva Huenul I 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 (I) 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 of megafauna! 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological radiocarbon databases are being increasingly used as a proxy of past demographic trends. In this paper we compile and analyze an extensive database of paleoecological information and 14 C dates from archaeological sites in northwestern Patagonia (Argentina, South America). On this basis, we assess the regional distribution of human populations since the late Pleistocene, and their relation with the evolution of Patagonian climate and landscapes. We explore the spatial and temporal distribution of evidence and discuss sampling biases affecting the record in different ecological contexts. The analysis is set in the frame of three main ecological regions that have implications for human subsistence: Andean forest, grass steppe, and shrub steppe. The intensity of the archaeological signal differs among these regions through time, being stronger and more homogeneous in the grass steppe. In the Andean forest and the shrub steppe the signal is weaker and even absent during short periods of the middle Holocene. We suggest likely sampling biases contributing to these tendencies, since these three regions present variable research cover and intensity. On the other hand, we also suggest that these differences may reflect variations in the intensity of human occupation, in favor of more attractive environments for hunting (i.e., areas where guanaco are generally more abundant). This macro-regional synthesis of the paleoecology and archaeology of northwestern Patagonia provides a platform for developing future oriented research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a synthesis of geological, geochemical, and archaeological information for the Huenul obsidian source located in northern Patagonia (Neuquén Province, Argentina). Important information recently published on other obsidian sources in the South-Central Andes of Argentina and Chile provide the context for this endeavor, allowing evaluation of the role of this lithic source within the network of human mobility and interaction on different spatial scales. It is suggested here that Huenul obsidian is genetically related with the Tilhué Formation, already been mapped in detail. This regional information provides a search model for geoarchaeological surveys. This raw material displays a remarkable supra-regional distribution in the archaeological record, although it is regionally under-represented. Three alternative hypotheses explaining the distribution of Huenul obsidians allow evaluation of technological decisions, marginal vs. nuclear role of certain spaces for past human societies, and territorial organization. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The management and conservation of animal species should be based upon a long-term analysis that considers its geographical distribution and feeding patterns. The study of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes on skeletal remains provides a quantitative approach to the paleodietary reconstructions and constitutes a potent tool for comparing behavioral aspects of the fauna. In this paper we present the first set of isotopic values for modern and archaeological samples of Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) from the forests of Central-western Patagonia, Chile. Contrary to initial expectations, our analysis indicates that there is no evidence of an important incidence of the canopy effect on the δ13Ccollagen values, which we suggest is due to an ecological selection that drives the huemul to focus its predation on open sectors within the forest. On the other hand, a wide range of δ15Ncollagen values for huemul was verified. This could reflect the N impoverishment of the forest soils and provide an interesting ecological indicator. The long-term information offered by the archaeological record provides the necessary context for decision-making conducive towards the preservation of Hippocamelus bisulcus in Patagonia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We synthesize and discuss available isotopic data on Holocene guanaco samples from southern South America, extending from Tierra del Fuego Island to northern Patagonia and the Pampean region. We evaluate temporal and spatial tendencies on the basis of 91 samples (mainly based on δ13Ccollagen values), presenting implications for paleodietary research in archaeology. We conclude that there are no strong correlations with latitude in the macro-spatial scale, while there is a set of interesting patterns at smaller regional scales. These patterns lead us to evaluate the role of ecologic and topographic variables (e.g. canopy effect, variations in altitude, ecotones) in structuring isotopic variability. Finally, on the basis of the present analysis we suggest a number of hypotheses and perspectives for the use of stable isotopes as geographic tracers of guanaco distribution in the past, and specific implications for the paleodietary study of human samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present isotopic and morphometric evidence suggesting the migration of farmers in the southern Andes in the period AD 1270–1420, leading up to the Inka conquest occurring ~ AD 1400. This is based on the interdisciplinary study of human remains from archaeological cemeteries in the Andean Uspallata Valley (Argentina), located in the southern frontier of the Inka Empire. The studied samples span AD 800–1500, encompassing the highly dynamic Late Intermediate Period and culminating with the imperial expansion. Our research combines a macro-regional study of human paleomobility and migration based on a new strontium isoscape across the Andes that allows identifying locals and migrants, a geometric morphometric analysis of cranio-facial morphology suggesting separate ancestral lineages, and a paleodietary reconstruction based on stable isotopes showing that the migrants had diets exceptionally high in C4 plants and largely based on maize agriculture. Significantly, this migration influx occurred during a period of regional demographic increase and would have been part of a widespread period of change in settlement patterns and population movements that preceded the Inka expansion. These processes increased local social diversity and may have been subsequently utilized by the Inka to channel interaction with the local societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing for the evolution of the capacity to inscribe the landscape with rock art has global relevance. While this was an in-built capacity when Homo sapiens first colonized the Americas, the heterogeneous distribution of rock art shows that it was a facultative behavior arising under unknown socioecological conditions. Patagonia was the last region to be explored by humans. While its rock art is globally important, it remains largely undated by absolute methods. We report the earliest set of directly radiocarbon-dated rock art motifs from the archaeological site Cueva Huenul 1 (northwestern Patagonia, Argentina), starting at 8.2 thousand years before the present (ka B.P.), predating previous records by several millennia, and encompassing over 3 ka (~130 human generations). This mid-Holocene "rock art emergence" phase overlaps with extremely arid conditions and a human demographic stasis. We suggest that this diachronic rock art emerged as part of a resilient response to ecological stress by highly mobile and low-density populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of the article "Integrating Identities: An Innovative Bioarchaeological and Biogeochemical Approach to Analyzing the Multiplicity of Identities in the Mortuary Record" by Christina Torres-Rouf and Kelly J. Knudson, is presented.

Despite our instinctive understanding of the importance of "identity," archaeologists and bioarchaeologists continue to struggle to rigorously investigate this complex phenomenon. Here, we present a contextualized multiscalar bioarchaeological approach to studying identities in the past—individual and group, mutable and immutable—through the mortuary record. We argue that, while many scholars have moved beyond the single-focus study, archaeological individuals themselves are still neglected. A contextualized bioarchaeological approach brings together a variety of methods to investigate aspects of individual and group identities, provides a means of accessing biological facets of identity, and allows for more nuanced understanding of the complexities of social identities. We illustrate the utility of our model with a case study using archaeological, bioarchaeological, and biogeochemical data from northern Chile, stressing both the fixed and the dynamic aspects of different identities. We focus on the tumultuous transition between the Middle Horizon (AD 500–1100) and Late Intermediate Period (AD 1100–1400) in northern Chile's San Pedro de Atacama oases and the neighboring upper Loa River Valley. Our research demonstrates a shift toward homogenizing representations of social identities as well as biological aspects of identities as societies began reformulating their social groups following the end of the complex and cosmopolitan Middle Horizon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper reports the first paleoparasitological results obtained from coprolites of fossil rodent middens and demonstrates the potential of rodent middens as a source of paleoparasitological evidences in South America. Ten fossil rodent middens from northwestern Patagonia, Argentina, were studied. Five coprolites of each midden were fully processed, rehydrated, homogenized, subjected to spontaneous sedimentation, and examined through light microscopy. Eight of the 10 examined rodent middens contained parasite eggs. The eggs of parasites were assigned to Heteroxynema ( Cavioxyura ) viscaciae Sutton & Hugot, 1989 and Helminthoxys sp. (Nematoda: Oxyuridae), Trichuris sp. (Nematoda: Trichuridae) and one unidentified nematode. Fossil rodent middens were assigned to Lagidium viscacia (Caviomorph: Chinchillidae). The excellent preservation of parasite remains in coprolites from fossil rodent middens provided an opportunity to perform paleoparasitological inferences. The results of this papers demonstrates that fossil rodent middens offer an excellent opportunity for the recovery of parasite remains for future paleoparasitological studies in the southwest of South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coprolites are one of the sources of evidence most commonly used in paleoparasitological studies. However, the zoological origin identification is not always possible. Parasites of the genus Eimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) are obligate protozoan which have evolved to exhibit a great diversity of host range, and present strict host specificity. Usually, the identification of Eimeria spp. can be done by morphological characteristics such as size and shape of the oocysts. Moreover, molecular diagnostic methods such as PCR have proven to be very useful methodologies for an accurate taxonomic identification. In recent years, molecular techniques have started to be applied in paleoparasitological studies. Here, we provide the first integrative approach that combine light microscopic studies and ancient DNA (aDNA) in order to detect and identify Eimeria spp. on artiodactyl coprolites recovered from an archeological context from northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. The main objective is to discuss the advantages of complementing these two approaches as a promising tool to identify the zoological origin of coprolites. Furthermore, we provide paleoparasitological data about the presence of Eimeria spp. in coprolites of South American ungulates. Light microscopic studies allowed the identification of oocysts attributed to Eimeria spp. in 13 of the 40 coprolites. Amplification and sequencing of the aDNA ITS1 detected the presence of Eimeria spp. in 5 of the 10 samples, and allowed the taxonomic identification of these sequences as belonging to Eimeria arloingi. Furthermore, the results obtained from cytochrome b gene (Cytb) analysis confirmed the identity of the host as Capra hircus. Results displayed the presence of coccidiosis in goats from historical times. This study highlights that both techniques are complementary and promotes the use of the identification of Eimeria spp. in ancient samples in order to identify the zoological origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revises paleoenvironmental data from Patagonia (southern South America) to discuss the occurrence, characteristics, and human impact of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA). The analysis of continuous paleoenvironmental archives with multidecadal-to-centennial resolution is based on a quality assessment regarding data interpretation, chronological control, and time range adequacy within the MCA lapse. After applying this three-stepped quality filters on the total dataset (N = 48), 18 cases can accurately be ascribed to the MCA. Except for two sites indicating wetter conditions, these records show dry and/or warm conditions between ca. 750 and 1350 CE (core period at ca. 800–1200 CE). Even though MCA records come mostly from forests and forest-steppe ecotones, all previous archeological hypotheses about the MCA effects on past hunter-gatherers were proposed for the steppes, particularly in southern sectors, thus requiring an assessment of the source of the signal, their synchronicity and causality between human-environmental processes. In the southern steppe, paleoenvironmental records partially overlapping with the MCA time window actually show a predominance of wet conditions between 47° and 50° S, whereas a generalized aridity is recorded in southern tip of the continental Patagonia between 51° and 52° S. Thus, a complex scenario of landscape fragmentation can be supported in the southern steppes during the MCA, produced not only by enhanced aridity in dry environments, but also because of the presence of wet and more resilient areas. This landscape heterogeneity must be considered to deepen the understanding of behavioral changes contemporaneous to the MCA. However, a scenario of demographic growth suggested around 1000 CE for the entire Patagonia could have promoted human changes similar to those expected for the MCA. Finally, no-archeological discussions linked to the MCA were developed for forest regions, despite their robust paleoenvironmental records, implying that changes in proxy data might not have necessarily involved important environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the results of chronostratigraphic analysis and the analysis of ceramic, lithic, archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological material, recovered from a rocky eaves located in the Cordillera Principal, on the trace of the southernmost transversal branch of the Qhapaq Ñan. This eave is located in an area with particular environmental characteristics that made it an obligatory post to ascend to or descend from the Cristo Redentor pass. By articulating the information from the analysis of the archaeological record with contextual information, we have been able to infer the activities that took place in the site, the origin of its occupants and some of the functions that the natural shelters fulfilled in this sector of the Qhapaq Ñan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strontium isotopes facilitate the study of human paleogeography and have widened the scope of archaeological enquiries on mobility. We present an approach based on strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) to study the mobility of hunter–gatherer societies from northwestern Patagonia (Neuquén, Argentina). The analysis is developed on the basis of a macro‐regional geological framework that guides the sampling and interpretation of results. We also present results for fauna to begin building a landscape of bioavailable strontium to be utilized in the interpretation of results from human samples. These first results conform to general expectations and show the most radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr values for the oldest geological provinces, while low values are recorded for recent substrates. Additionally, we provide results for human samples from archaeological sites spanning the last 4000 years, a period during which a number of important socio‐demographic changes occurred. The results in human samples indicate overall isotopic fidelity to the values recorded in the local geology, suggesting a relatively restricted spatial scale of mobility during the late Holocene. This discussion is situated in a biogeographic research framework assessing topographic variation and landscape seasonality, and contributes toward understanding the movements of people, flow of material objects, and circulation of information in the Patagonian Andes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of paleoparasitological examination of rodent coprolites collected from archaeological and paleontological sites from Patagonia, Argentina, are present. Each coprolite was processed, rehydrated, homogenized, spontaneously sedimented and examined using light microscope. Coprolites and eggs were described, measured and photographed, and were compared with current faeces of Lagidium viscacia. Eggs with morphological features, attributed to an anoplocephalid cestode were found in samples collected from Cueva Huenul 1 (36°56′45″S, 69°47′32″W, Neuquén Province, Holocene) and Los Altares Profile (43o53′35″S, 68o23′21″W, Chubut Province, Late Holocene). These are the first findings of this anoplocephalid from faecal material from patagonic rodents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Small mammal samples from the archaeological sequence of Cueva Huenul 1 (CH1, 36°56′45″S, 69°47′32″W, Neuquén Province, Argentina) are described, and taphonomic and paleoenvironmental conditions assessed. This site is located near the steppe-monte ecotone in the northernmost Patagonia. Small mammal remains (NISP=1426, MNE=1409, MNI=87) were recovered from Late Pleistocene (13,800–11,800 14C BP), Early Holocene (9500 14C BP) and Late Holocene layers (1400 14C BP). Taphonomic analysis indicates that the CH1 assemblage is an archaeofaunistic owl pellet accumulation. It has a good post-depositional preservation since it was rapidly incorporated in the sedimentary matrix, although it previously experienced trampling action. From latest Pleistocene to Late Holocene, the assemblages are mainly composed by the sigmodontines Eligmodontia spp. and Phyllotis xanthopygus, and the caviomorphs Microcavia australis and Ctenomys sp., suggesting in overall terms a marked ecological stability. CHl is one of the few sites where the Pleistocene–Holocene transition is represented by faunal evidence. The latest Pleistocene sample spanning 13,800 and 11,800 14C BP indicate scrub steppe with substantial open ground and rocky exposition; one Early Holocene sample (9500 14C BP) suggests a more heterogeneous environment as evidenced by the first occurrence of Akodon iniscatus and Euneomys chinchilloides. In this context, CH1 assemblages do not reflect the small mammal community reworking that putatively accompanied the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We reconstruct the Holocene vegetation, climate, and archaeological history for drylands of northwestern Patagonia, Argentina, based on multiproxy analysis (plant macrofossil, pollen, and parasites) of rodent middens integrated with a database of 14C dates associated with human occupations. The local scale corresponds to the Huenul paleoecological and archaeological locality, emplaced in north-western Patagonia (Neuquén Province, Argentina). The rodent midden record from the Huenul series reflects subtle vegetation changes driven by climatic variability at millennial timescale. Drier than present environmental conditions prevailed during the early Holocene (10,500–9400 cal yr BP), peaking during the mid-Holocene (9200–5500 cal yr BP), when wetter than present conditions established during the late Holocene (4400–2500 cal yr BP). These environmental and climatic dynamics agree with other paleoclimatic records from northern Patagonia, suggesting the winter precipitation dynamics related to the Southern Westerlies as a common driver. The diachronic distribution of anthropogenic radiocarbon dates from the western area of the South American Arid Diagonal between 32°–40°S conforms to a fitted exponential model of steady background population growth, not suggesting significant demographic changes that may have been the result of the impact of climate change. This record indicates that these human populations coped successfully with aridity, particularly during the mid-Holocene. These findings reinforce the need to integrate multi-scalar interdisciplinary analyses to assess the impact of climate change in human societies. • The SAAD (36°S) underwent environmental changes driven by precipitation variability. • Dry conditions prevailed during the early Holocene peaking at the mid Holocene. • Rodent and human occupancies were mutually exclusive in alternating discrete phases. • The fluctuations in the observed SPD could not be attributed to any demographic event. • Significant regional demographic changes may not have been a result of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sloths and ground sloths (Xenarthra: Tardigrada) are among the most conspicuous mammals in the Cenozoic faunas of South America. During the late Pleistocene and the early Holocene, all the megafaunal xenarthrans became extinct. While much attention has been paid to understanding the causes of megafauna extinction, less attention has been given to understanding the impacts of the loss of the megafauna on other organisms with whom they interacted. Paleoparasitology offers the opportunity to look back into the past and observe directly how parasites responded to environmental change and host decline events. The present work is the first paleoparasitological study on megaherbivores dung from the archaeological site Cueva Huenul 1 (northwestern Patagonia, Argentina). Twenty one dung samples were examined for parasites. Samples were processed by rehydration in a 0.5% water solution of trissodium phosphate, followed by homogenization, filtered and processed by spontaneous sedimentation. Additionally, microhistological analyses of three samples were made. The dung samples were identified as belonging to a ground sloth. Ground sloths from northwestern Patagonia were infected by the nematodes Trichostrongylus sp., Nematodirus sp., at least three Strongylida-type species, Trichuris sp., one ascaridid and one unidentified nematode. Also, the results indicated that the diet was mainly based on shrub species (Schinus johnstonii , Prosopis sp., Berberis empetrifolia , Ephedra chilense and Retanilla patagonica), typical of the Monte vegetation. Also, the cacti Maihuenia and the grasses Festuca kurtziana , Hordeum comosum , Stipa speciosa and Poa sp. (Family Poaceae) were found but in less frequency. The host-parasite-environment interactions, the potential parasitic diseases and ecological consequences of the ground sloth extinction are discussed. This study shows the potential of paleoparasitological studies of ancient feces to contribute to the understanding of the evolutionary histories of parasites and hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuestro objetivo es estudiar las estrategias de uso del espacio por parte de sociedades humanas móviles en un paisaje andino de Patagonia caracterizado por una marcada heterogeneidad topográfica, climática y ecológica (localidad de Barrancas-Buta Ranquil, provincia del Neuquén, Argentina). Inicialmente, se analiza la estructura del paisaje desde una perspectiva biogeográfica, desarrollando un modelo de estacionalidad mediante sistemas de información geográfica. Nuestro enfoque distribucional combina una prospección sistemática para caracterizar la estructura espacial del registro en superficie y evidencias que han sido obtenidas bajo otras estrategias de muestreo. Sobre la base de la distribución de artefactos líticos y cerámicos y de motivos rupestres, se evalúan patrones de intensidad ocupacional, diversidad funcional y circulación de información en sectores del espacio con propiedades biogeográficas diferentes. Los resultados sugieren una delimitación funcional del espacio en escala temporal promediada, en la cual los espacios intermedios habrían funcionado como lugares centrales desde donde se articulan movimientos logísticos hacia otros sectores del paisaje. Dado que la unidad de muestreo captura variación biogeográfica que se expresa en forma regional más amplia, el modelo de uso del espacio propuesto es relevante para la comprensión de la arqueología del noroeste de Patagonia en general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We synthesize the osteometric analyses performed on a set of camelid bones specimens from two archaeological sites, Agua de la Cueva and Los Hornillos, located in the Precordillera of Mendoza Province (Argentina). These sites are located at 2500 m.a.s.l., are suitable for herding activities, and integrate circulation paths between the intermountain valleys and the eastern lowlands. The archaeological record studied spans between 1800-400 years BP, a period during which pastoralism would have consolidated in the region. With the specific goal of discriminating between wild and domesticated camelids, these results contribute to the issue of human subsistence in highland environments. We attempt to assess the economic strategies, risk management tactics and mobility patterns, as well as changes in camelid pastoralism. We conclude that these two sites were part of a greater mobility circuit and were occupied seasonally and recurrently to procure access to pastures and other biotic and abiotic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New geochemical results for two obsidian types, Laguna del Diamante and Arroyo Paramillos, naturally available in the Laguna del Diamante locality, a seasonally accessible highland wetland emplaced in the current border between Argentina and Chile at 3300 masl (34°S), are presented. A total of 1219 archeological artifacts from 41 sites located on both sides of the Andes have been assigned to these sources. The artifacts were analyzed by non-destructive, energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF). Archeological distributions of these obsidian types are assessed through GIS spatial analysis. Results show a great asymmetry in the distribution of these sources toward the two Andean slopes: the Laguna de Diamante chemical type shows a fairly local use pattern, being concentrated almost entirely in Cordillera sites, but the Paramillos shows a less homogeneous distribution and tends to be more concentrated in the sites that are in the western natural corridor. Although these lands were accessed and occupied from diverse demographic nodes in lower-altitude settings, the spatial analysis of obsidian artifacts reinforces the argument of dominant geographic vectors of access connecting with the western valleys and lowlands of Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry associated with Laser Ablation (LA-ICP-MS) we analyzed several obsidian artifacts from the Natural Protected Area Laguna del Diamante (Mendoza, Argentina) and upper Maipo valley (Chile). This analytical method, almost non-destructive, is a powerful tool for the determination of trace elements and is very useful in characterizing and determining the provenance of obsidian fragments of archeological interest, although care must be taken to avoid or account for heterogeneities within obsidian such as microcrysts. In the macro-region of study, two types of sources can be differentiated on the basis of their primary location: high-altitude sources emplaced in the Andes range (≥2500 m a.s.l.) including Laguna del Diamante, Laguna del Maule, and Las Cargas sources; and low-altitude (≤1500 m a.s.l.) extra-Andean sources situated on the eastern plains: Cerro Huenul and El Peceño. In addition, while the primary location of Arroyo Paramillos source is currently unknown, we consider it as a sub source of Laguna del Diamante, since its wide archaeological distribution has a main core within Laguna del Diamante area and in the upper Maipo River basin. Considering this pattern, the assignation of provenances presented here improves the basis for assessing the use of high Andean environments from both sides of the mountain range. In addition, we will also improve the geochemical discrimination between the two sources Arroyo Paramillos and Las Cargas that based on only previous XRF analysis are chemically overlapping, leading to an incorrect interpretation of their pattern of archaeological distribution. The better characterization of the obsidian sources of the Laguna del Diamante and neighboring regions allows discussions of mobility, exchange, and human use of this lithic resource in the highland of central western Argentina - central Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an interdisciplinary research of the human remains and grave goods recovered from the Barrio Ramos I burial, localized in the Uspallata Valley (Mendoza, Argentina). We reassess the traditional assignment of the site to the late 'Agroalfarero' period. Based on a bayesian analysis of the available radiocarbon dates for the site, and by integrating regional contexts with similar chronology, we suggest that Barrio Ramos I falls within the period of Inca domination. The analysis of lithic, ceramic, and bone artifacts recovered from the burial support this inference. By means of isotopic and bioarchaeological studies of the remains, we offer valuable insights on the lifeway and geographic origin of some of the individuals found at the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]