Browsing by Author "Armstrong, Felipe"

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    12,000 years away from the sea: Long-term circulation of Pacific shells in the Semiarid North of Chile (South America)
    (2025) Hernández Castillo, Daniel; Troncoso, Andrés; Méndez, César; Pascual Grau, Daniel; Armstrong, Felipe; Nuevo-Delaunay, Amalia; Grasset, Sebastián; Pérez, Isidora; Vera, Francisca; Delgado, Manuela; Escudero, Antonia; Pino, Mariela; Larach, Pablo
    Marine resources provide a baseline for understanding the sociohistorical trajectories of Andean societies using Pacific coastal environments. This study examines seashell distributions in northern Chile's semiarid region, revealing inland circulation patterns established over twelve thousand years. This included an extensive review of published information and new data assessed through GIS and least-cost paths. Sorting 950 specimens from 32 sites into 32 taxa, we identified consistent mobility patterns across time periods. In addition to the primary west-east trajectory from the sea to the interior, a secondary north-south inland vector was in use since the early Holocene. This study also revealed intensified shell transport during the middle Holocene, and a shift toward down-the-line exchange with reduced shell frequency at interior sites by the late Holocene, particularly in the Limarí Valley. Additionally, shell artifacts - ornaments and tools - were found more consistently in interior contexts. Together, these findings shed light on long-term human adaptation strategies in semiarid mountainous environments.
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    Terminal Pleistocene-Early Holocene human occupation in north-central Chile
    (2024) Troncoso, Andres; Pascual Grau, Daniel; Escudero, Antonia; Pino, Mariela; Hernandez, Daniel; Lopez-Mendoza, Patricio; Moya Cañoles, Francisca Andrea; Armstrong, Felipe; Vera, Francisca; Delgado, Manuela; Artigas, Diego; Larach, Pablo; Chavez, Maria Alejandra
    While a clear human presence may be recognised in the Andes by 12 000-11 000 cal BP, most archaeological research has focused on occupation of the Andean highlands. To understand the initial occupation of inland areas of South America, the authors consider regional connections and spatial exploitation strategies of hunter-gatherers highlighted in a recent survey of Andean sites. Focusing on north-central Chile, artefacts and radiocarbon dates from three rock shelters suggest sporadic and brief occupation during the Terminal Pleistocene-Early Holocene. Co-occurrence of marine and montane resources, the authors argue, demonstrates a strategy of high mobility and local adaptation in early Andean occupation, using rock shelters as landmarks to navigate and learn new landscapes.