Caza y extracción de pieles de Chinchillidae en la Puna de Jujuy (Argentina): Una aproximación arqueológica

Abstract

This paper presents evidence of human exploitation of Chinchillidae from a temporary campsite located in the High Lakes Region (Jujuy Province, Argentina) and dated around the 14th century AD. Models that consider those rodents as a complementary subsistence resource are discussed, arguing that in some contexts fur exploitation was the main purpose for their hunting. We use fine-grained taxonomic data derived from Osteometrie analysis, evidences of bone modifications, and detailed contextual information to assess the hypothesis. Our results suggest that high-quality chinchilla fur was one of the main local resources exploited by logistic groups that regularly visited the High Lakes Region during late prehispanic times.