MORTANDAD CATASTRÓFICA DE GUANACOS POR ESTRÉS INVERNAL Y SUS IMPLICACIONES ARQUEOLÓGICAS: EL SITIO ALERO LOS GUANACOS 1, LAGO CARDIEL (PROVINCIA DE SANTA CRUZ, ARGENTINA)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present a case study that consists of an episode of catastrophic mortality of guanacos caused by winter stress in the west margin of Lago Cardiel (Santa Cruz, Argentina). The faunal assemblage is described in terms of the following variables: preservation state, age structure, death postures, degree of interment, disarticulation, carnivore marks, trampling, and association between carcasses and lithic artifacts. The taphonomic and archaeological implications of this kind of mortality events in guanacos are discussed. It is suggested that this kind of events occur under certain conditions which are normal in southern Patagonian ecosystems. Also, they show a predictable and redundant spatial location, mainly in sheltered places. In taphonomic terms, this implies a potential mixing of natural and cultural assemblages in places used as shelter by guanacos and humans. In terms of the impact of this kind of animal mortality events on human populations, it is suggested that, in the short term, they constitute an important supply of resources that is exploitable through a scavenging strategy. This is a low cost and low risk option (Borrero et al. 2005) which makes use of an immediate supply of the resource in question on a regional scale. Therefore, the implementation of a scavenging strategy by hunter-gatherers populations could be expected not only during the early peopling of the region, but also as a common strategy practiced through time. On the other hand, due to the low diversity that is characteristic of southern Patagonian environments, catastrophic death events can severely affect the productivity of a region in the long term. This implies, in turn, that the consequent fluctuations on animal biomass could constitute a factor controlling the abandonment of certain spaces, mainly those suffering a high climatic variability, such as areas near the Andean Cordillera.