Hunting Landscapes in the North Margin of Lake Viedma (Southern Patagonia, Argentina): Preys, Strategies and Technology

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to describe and discuss the strategies and technology implemented by Late Holocene hunter-gatherers to hunt their most prominent animal resources, guanaco (Lama guanicoe) and choique (Rhea pennata pennata), in different settings in the north margin of Lake Viedma (Santa Cruz province, Argentina). In order to do that, we use archaeological distributional data from different altitudinal levels, namely lakeshore dunes (255–275 m.a.s.l), mid-altitude plains or pampas (276–900 m.a.s.l.), and Del Tobiano basaltic plateau (≥900 m a.s.l.). The pampas, particularly the grounds below 400 m.a.s.l., may have been used by both species as their wintering grounds (although their permanence in this environment could have occurred throughout the year), while the mid-altitude plains and the plateau seem to have been primarily used by the guanaco as grazing and calving grounds from late spring to early fall, the months in which most of its surface is free of snow. Likely, differences in seasonality, topography and use of these environments by the guanaco and choique social groups may have forced people to adopt different hunting strategies, tactics and weaponry. Frequency variations in the presence of projectile points and bolas at different altitudinal levels have been observed. In the pampas, evidence suggests that guanaco hunting was aided by the use of bow and arrows and/or throwing weapons, such as spears and bolas, the latter likely also used in the hunting of choique. In the plateau, on the other hand, guanaco hunting tactics involved the use of blinds either by individuals or small groups of hunters who were mainly equipped with throwing weapons and/or bow and arrows. The archeological record of the plateau shows a logistic hunting-oriented strategy as well as a residential use during summer months. Artifact density and variety at lakeshore dunes suggest a greater intensity of occupation of these grounds, probably linked to a more residential use—either seasonal (fall/winter) or year-round—made possible by the availability, although in variable density throughout the year, of guanaco and choique. Consequently, the regional archeological landscape exhibits evidence of integration and complementarity of the different altitudinal levels in the northern margin of the Lake Viedma, at least during the Late Holocene.