Browsing by Author "Labarca, Rafael"
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- ItemA Partially Complete Skeleton of Hippidion Saldiasi Roth, 1899 (Mammalia: Perissodactyla) from the Late Pleistocene of the High Andes in Northern Chile(2020) Labarca, Rafael; Caro, Francisco J.; Villavicencio, Natalia A.; Capriles, Jose M.; Briones, Esteban; Latorre, Claudio; Santoro, Calogero M.South America is well known for its abundance of Quaternary fossiliferous deposits, but well-preserved fossil remains from well-dated sites are scarce in the Atacama Desert and adjacent arid Andes. Here we report on a partially complete skeleton (46%) of a single young (ca. 3-4 years old) extinct horse discovered in the Salar de Surire, a salt flat located on the Andean altiplano of northern Chile (4,250 m asl). Comparative and osteometric morphological analyses identify the specimen as a South American endemic horse Hippidion saldiasi Roth, 1899. A direct AMS radiocarbon date on bone collagen yielded a calibrated age of 13,170 cal yr BP (2 sigma range: 13,300-13,060 cal yr BP) indicating that it lived near the end of the last glaciation. The body mass of the individual was calculated at approximately 326.4 kg, close to the upper limit of the larger sizes reported for the genus. Stable isotope evidence shows that the Salar de Surire horse relied on an almost 100% C3 diet that is mostly consistent with Hippidion specimens from other environments that also consumed either mixed C3/C4 or fully C3 diets. This finding is now the southernmost high-elevation record for this species and provides further evidence for the broad geographic and ecological distribution of this genus throughout southern South America.
- ItemCamelids in the hyperarid core of the Atacama desert 12,000-11,000 years ago? A stable isotope study and its consequences for early human settlement(2024) Ugalde, Paula C.; Gayo, Eugenia M.; Labarca, Rafael; Santoro, Calogero M.; Quade, JayHow did hunter-gatherers initially settle and move across extreme environments? We conducted a multi-disciplinary study to tackle this question, focusing on how Paleoindigenous populations inhabited the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert. Particularly, we examined the stable isotopic values of similar to 12,000-11,200-year-old camelid and rodent bones and hair samples retrieved from low-elevation archaeological sites (Pampa del Tamarugal basin - PdT, 800-1200 masl). By integrating novel and existing data into a regional stable isotope ecology, we offer a baseline for interpreting our results. delta C-13 and delta N-15 values on archaeological remains show animals with different geographical origins. A first group includes camelids and rodents with lower delta N-15 values and delta C-13 values indicating a dominantly C-3 diet, corresponding to animals either local to the PdT or from the Andean Steppe, at least similar to 80 km away and between 4000 and 4500 masl. Most of these remains, however, come from residential sites and belong to young camelids, indicating a local origin. A second group presents a higher delta N-15 signal and delta C-13 values indicative of a mixed C-3-C-4 based diet. These animals were not local but source to the Puna at least similar to 60 km away between 3200 - 4000 masl. We hypothesize that the first would correspond to animals associated with hunter-gatherer bands settled around a wetland and grove environment in the PdT. The second group could correspond to remains brought by humans from the Puna to the PdT. Our results demonstrate that during the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene the Atacama was very different than today, supporting life that included large and mid-size game. These results also show that the core of the Atacama attracted animals and people and counters the notion of this ecosystem as a barren passageway from the Andes to the coast.
- ItemFirst record of cf. Aenocyon dirus (Leidy, 1858) (Carnivora, Canidae), from the Upper Pleistocene of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile(2022) Caro, Francisco J.; Labarca, Rafael; Prevosti, Francisco J.; Villavicencio, Natalia; Jarpa, Gabriela M.; Herrera, Katherine A.; Correa-Lau, Jacqueline; Latorre, Claudio; Santoro, Calogero M.Fossil records of canids are rare and incomplete in South America. In Chile, all well-identified taxa are part of the "South American Canid Clade" and come from sites located in southern Patagonia. Here, we report the first record for Chile of a taxon of the "Canis clade," assigned to cf. Aenocyon dirus. The fossil remains consist of a partially complete left hind limb, exposed by aeolian deflation, which facilitated its discovery at an isolated setting in Quebrada Mani, named QM38 site, in the southern sector of the Pampa del Tamarugal basin, part of the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile. Measurements of the fossil are larger than the Protocyon troglodytes, falling in the smaller size range of A. dirus and within the larger range of Theriodictis platensis. Its morphological features compared with bone references of large extinct canids show that the fossil belongs to a small-sized Aenocyon. The remains occur in surface silty clays deposited by an alluvial fan that was active in the Pampa del Tamarugal basin in the Late Pleistocene. A radiocarbon date from bone apatite yielded an age of 14,660 cal years BP, placing it within the first half of the Central Andean Pluvial Event when this basin was wetter, well vegetated, and inhabited by large, medium, and small herbivores. No other large predator records are known from this basin, and our find affords a more complete view of this ecosystem which thrived in the hyperarid core of the Atacama during the Late Pleistocene.
- ItemHISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY IN REY DON FELIPE (PORT FAMINE): 50 YEARS AFTER ORTIZ-TRONCOSO(2023) Urbina, Simon; Adan, Leonor; Sierralta, Simon; Cortes, Constanza; Prieto, Alfredo; Gonzalez, Soledad; Calas, Elisa; Labarca, Rafael; Massone, Mauricio; Naranjo, Natalia; De la Calle, Felipe; Roman, AlvaroThis article presents new archaeological research at Rey Don Felipe (Port Famine), thus continuing the pioneering works by Omar Ortiz-Troncoso half a century ago. We first summarize the historical and archaeological knowledge about the colonial settlement, and then the new excavation carried out between 2019-2022 are described. Finally, we discuss the main results of the chronological, faunal and lithic studies as well as other significant cultural findings. Different interpretations regarding the relevance of the settlement, cultural materials and different occupations identified are evaluated. Progress is made regarding four principal occupational the potential of new analyzes and the emergence of novel perspectives to study colonial processes from an archaeological point of view.
- ItemMultiproxy evidence for leaf-browsing and closed habitats in extinct proboscideans (Mammalia, Proboscidea) from central Chile(2018) González-Guarda, Erwin; Petermann-Pichincura, Alia; Tornero, Carlos; Domingo, Laura; Agustí, Jordi; Pino, Mario; Abarzúa, Ana M.; Capriles, José M.; Villavicencio Figueroa, Natalia Andrea; Labarca, Rafael; Tolorza, Violeta; Sevilla, Paloma; Rivals, Florent
- ItemSilvopastoralism and the shaping of forest patches in the Atacama Desert during the Formative Period (ca. 3000-1500 years BP)(2022) McRostie, Virginia; Babot, Pilar; Calas, Elisa; Gayo, Eugenia; Gallardo, Francisco; Godoy-Aguirre, Carolina; Labarca, Rafael; Latorre, Claudio; Nunez, Lautaro; Ojeda, Karla; Santoro, Calogero M.; Valenzuela, DanielaDuring the Formative period by the Late-Holocene (ca. 3000-1500 BP), semi-sedentary and sedentary human occupations had emerged in the oases, salares, and riverine systems in the central depression (2400-1000 masl) of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile (19-25 degrees S). This hyperarid core was marginally occupied during the post-Pleistocene and middle Holocene droughts. Settlement on these lower belts was accompanied by a rise in humidity, the introduction of Andean crops, flourishment of Prosopis spp. (algarrobo) forests, and increasing integration of domestic camelid caravans. Here, we explore lowland husbandry within risk-spreading strategies, focusing on silvopastoralism and endozoochory between camelids and algarrobos. Analysis of camelid coprolites from seven archeological sites located in the Pampa del Tamarugal, Loa River, and Salar de Atacama found intense grinding from camelid chewing and indicated a ruminal digestive system. Abundant macro and microremains in the form of tissues, phytoliths, crystals, cell structures, and others, were identified as Prosopis, Atriplex, Schoenoplectus, Distichlis, and Phragmites. We conclude that camelids were foraging for Prosopis, although the rather low number of entire seeds preserved in the coprolites leads us to think that these herbivores might not have been the main vectors for the spread and germination of algarrobos. More samples and interdisciplinary studies are needed to comprehend the complex socioecological web in the shaping of these forests and the management of the Atacama Desert landscapes.
- ItemTaguatagua 3: A new late Pleistocene settlement in a highly suitable lacustrine habitat in central Chile (34°S)(2024) Labarca, Rafael; Frugone-Alvarez, Matias; Vilches, Liz; Blanco, Jose Francisco; Penaloza, Angela; Godoy-Aguirre, Carolina; Lizama-Catalan, Alvaro; Oyarzo, Cristobal; Tornero, Carlos; Gonzalez-Guarda, Erwin; Delgado, Ayelen; Sepulveda, Marcela; Soto-Huenchuman, PaulaWe present the results of the excavations and analyses of the diverse and exceptional archaeological assemblage of Taguatagua 3, a new late Pleistocene site located in the ancient Tagua Tagua lake in Central Chile (34 degrees S). The anthropogenic context is constrained in a coherently dated stratigraphic deposit which adds new information about the mobility, subsistence strategies, and settlement of the early hunter-gatherers of southern South America. The age model constructed, as well as radiocarbon dates obtained directly from a combustion structure, indicate that the human occupation occurred over a brief time span around 12,440-12,550 cal yr BP. Considering taphonomic, geoarchaeological, lithic, archaeobotanical, and zooarchaeological evidence, as well as the spatial distribution combined with ethnographic data, we interpret Taguatagua 3 as a logistic and temporary camp associated mainly with gomphothere hunting and butchering. Nevertheless, several other activities were carried out here as well, such as hide and/or bone preparation, small vertebrate and plant processing and consumption, and red ochre grinding. Botanical and eggshell remains suggest that the anthropic occupation occurred during the dry season. Considering the contemporaneous sites recorded in the basin, we conclude that the ancient Tagua Tagua lake was a key location along the region's early hunter-gatherer mobility circuits. In this context, it acted as a recurrent hunting/scavenging place during the Late Pleistocene due to its abundant, diverse, and predictable resources.
- ItemThe extinct Notiomastodon platensis (proboscidea, Gomphoteriidae) inhabited mediterranean ecosystems during the Late Pleistocene in north-central Chile (31°S-36°S)(2024) Gonzalez-Guarda, Erwin; Segovia, Ricardo A.; Valenzuela, Matias; Asevedo, Lidiane; Villavicencio, Natalia; Tornero, Carlos; Ramirez-Pedraza, Ivan; Ortega, Sebastian; Capriles, Jose; Labarca, Rafael; Latorre, ClaudioLimited pollen and limnogeological evidence show that central Chile (31 degrees S-36 degrees S) had a more temperate climate during the Late Pleistocene. Questions remain, however, regarding the extent of the mediterranean sclerophyllous forest currently found in this region and its postglacial dynamics. The extinct Notiomastodon platensis was the only proboscidean species that inhabited central Chile and ranged across a broad latitudinal range (31 degrees S-42 degrees S) during the Pleistocene. Although this species was a mixed-feeder, we reconstructed past ecosystems when these animals were alive using stable isotope evidence from dental root collagen (delta C-13 and delta N-15) of N. platensis specimens collected from present-day semi-arid and mediterranean ecosystems in central Chile (31 degrees S-36 degrees S). Compared to modern vegetation isotope baselines, we expected the isotopic value of the Estimated Consumed Diet (ECD) (the probable diet of N. platensis) to be similar to the isotopic signal (low values) from vegetation adapted to temperate rainforests. However, elevated delta N-15(ECD) values indicate a paleo-vegetation more similar to a xerophyte scrub influenced by a semi-arid paleoclimate. delta C-13(ECD) values reflect a wooded/forested environment but adapted to more arid conditions. Although high delta N-15 values could be influenced by other non-climatic factors (e.g., grazing effect), our combined evidence suggests that these gomphotheres roamed through ecosystem very similar to those found today in central Chile. Our results show the need for multiproxy reconstructions of past environmental change in Mediterranean regions where the abundance of entomophilous species can lead to biased pollen reconstructions.
- ItemThe first peoples of the Atacama Desert lived among the trees: A 11,600-to 11,200-year- old grove and congregation site(2024) Ugalde, Paula C.; Joly, Delphine; Latorre, Claudio; Gayo, Eugenia M.; Labarca, Rafael; Simunovic, Mikhaela; Mcrostie, Virginia; Holliday, Vance T.; Quade, Jay; Santoro, Calogero M.In deserts, water has been singled out as the most important factor for choosing where to settle, but trees were likely an important part of the landscape for hunter - gatherers beyond merely constituting an economic resource. Yet, this critical aspect has not been considered archaeologically. Here, we present the results of mapping and radiocarbon dating of a truly unique archaeological record. Over 150 preserved stumps around five Late Pleistocene/ Early Holocene archaeological campsites (12,800 to 11,200 cal BP) show that trees were key features in the creation of everyday habitats for the first inhabitants of the Atacama Desert. At two of these sites, QM12 and QM35, the spatial and chronological correlation between trees and hearths reveals that people located their homes under the tree canopy. At residential site QM35, artifact distribution coincides with a grove dated to - 11,600 to 11,200 cal BP. A third residential area (QM32) occurred along the grove margins - 12,000 to 11,200 cal BP. Based on the distinct cultural material of these two camps, we propose that two different groups intermittently shared this rich wetland - grove environment. The tree taxa suggest a preference for the native Schinus molle, a tree scarcely present on the landscape today, over the endemic, nitrogen - fixing Strombocarpa tamarugo , both for toolmaking and firewood and even though the S. tamarugo was locally more abundant. Together with the spatial and chronological coincidence of campsites, hearths, and trees, we propose that people spared the most abundant and resilient species to create their homes, in turn promoting fertility oases amid the Atacama's hyperaridity.
- ItemThe ways of fish beyond the sea: fish circulation and consumption in the Atacama desert, northern Chile, during the Formative period (500 cal BC-700 cal AD.)(2019) Ballester, Benjamin; Calas, Elisa; Labarca, Rafael; Pestle, William; Gallardo, Francisco; Castillo, Claudia; Pimentel, Gonzalo; Oyarzo, CristobalAlong the Atacama Desert coast, fish has always been a staple food and by the Formative period (500 cal B.C.-700 cal A.D.) it had become a product in high demand by the inhabitants of the inland valleys, oases and ravines of the desert. In this paper we explore the technologies used in coastal fishing activities, the diverse species caught, and fish processing and preserving techniques. We further examine the circulation routes of the product through the desert and associated strategies, the agents involved in transporting it and consumption levels in inland villages. Our study employs a multivariate analysis that includes evidence from zooarchaeology, stable isotope analysis of deceased individuals, and the composition of human coprolites, all of which were recovered from domestic waste, funerary contexts, and rest stops associated with the circulation routes running between the coast and the inland desert regions. Our results suggest that in this ancient social context, food was not only used to quell hunger, but through its associated economic cycles of production, circulation and consumption, was part of a complex and extended web of social relations. Within that network, food functioned as material culture, and as such enabled social distinctions to emerge within local groups and cultural negotiations to be conducted among different localities. Fish circulation and consumption played an active role in the reproduction of a social structure characterized by dose and firm ties between marine hunter-fisher-gatherers and agropastoral communities, despite their long distance from each other.
- ItemWho eats What: Unravelling a complex taphonomic scenario in the lacustrine deposits of the late Pleistocene archaeological site, Taguatagua 1, central Chile(2023) Lizama-Catalan, Alvaro; Labarca, RafaelTaguatagua 1 is a late Pleistocene open-air archaeological site located on an ancient lakeshore in central Chile and dated to around 12,600 cal BP. It presents clear evidence of human and megafauna (Equidae, Gomphotheriidae and Cervidae) interaction that includes burned, fractured and cut-marked bones, as well as tusk and bone-made instruments. Mixed with artefacts and megafauna bones, an outstanding small vertebrate record (Class Actinopterygii, Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves and Mammalia) has also been reported, which has remained largely unstudied. In this paper, we present the first comprehensive taphonomic study of a selected sample of this ensemble. Birds are the most common taxa, followed by anurans, fish and rodents. Surface modifications, bone breakage, skeletal frequencies and the sample's ecological/biological attributes indicate different taphonomic trajectories for an averaged sample. A portion of the ensemble entered the context via predators and natural deaths, but the presence of anthropogenic marks, especially in aquatic birds, and to a lesser extent in Myocastor coypus and Calyptocephalella sp., indicates cultural exploitation of these taxa. These results portray a more precise image of the late Pleistocene hunter-gatherer subsistence strategies in central Chile, which is consistent with the settlement's lacustrine context.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.