Browsing by Author "Loyola, Rodrigo"

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    Chronological sequence (early and late Holocene) and cultural trajectories in Quebrada Pedernales, southern Puna, Chile (26°S-3,456-3,730 masl)
    (2023) Mendoza, Patricio Lopez; Carrasco, Carlos; Loyola, Rodrigo; Mendez, Victor; Varas, Daniel; Diaz, Pablo; Santana-Sagredo, Francisca; Quiroz, Luciana; Soto, Angelica; Flores-Aqueveque, Valentina; Maldonado, Antonio; Vera, Francisca; Bravo, Alvaro; Hernandez, Daniel; Alamos, Ignacio; Orrego, Vanessa
    This article presents the results of the interdisciplinary investigation in Quebrada Pedernales (26 degrees S-69 degrees W, Chile 3456 masl), in the highlands of northern Chile. The excavations and surveys carried out revealed a great diversity of pre-Hispanic evidence in an area of the Andes that has been little investigated. This evidence allowed us to reconstruct a sequence of continuous occupation between 11,201-11,612 and 539-634 cal. BP. Zooarchaeological, radiocarbon, technological, geochemical, and carpological analyses suggest wide mobility circuits between the coast and the puna on both slopes of the Andes at the start of the Holocene, coinciding with improved environmental conditions in this area and greater aridity on the coast. A severe lack of human occupation is observed during the mid-Holocene, a phenomenon associated with extreme arid environmental conditions. These trends indicate that the southern limit of influence of this environmental event, which has been recorded in a large part of the south-central Andes, extended into the study area, with a direct impact on the settlement and mobility of human groups. Towards ca. 3000 cal. BP, environmental conditions similar to those of today are associated with the reappearance of archaeological evidence and greater complexity in the formation of settlements, especially in terms of hunting activities.
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    Pedernales-5: An enclave for flamingo (Phoenicopteridae) exploitation during the Early Holocene in the Chilean southern Puna (26°S-69°W)
    (SAGE Publications, 2024) López, Patricio; Loyola, Rodrigo; Carrasco, Carlos; Roa Solís, Constanza; Varas, Daniel; Santana Sagredo, Francisca; Méndez Muñoz, Víctor Andrés; Bravo, Gabriela; Latorre, Elvira; Sáez, Alina; Orrego, Vanessa; Sperling, Ariel
    We present the results of an interdisciplinary study conducted at the Pedernales-5 site, situated in the Salar de Pedernales basin (26°S; 3356 masl), dated from 10,510−10,749 to 11,201−11,612 cal. BP. Unlike other Late Pleistocene and Holocene sites in the Andean Puna, where vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) were the primary prey, at Pedernales-5, the zooarcheological assemblage consists almost exclusively of flamingo (Phoenicopteridae) and bird remains. Through the analysis of lithic and bone artifacts, archeobotanical remains, pigment composition, and paleoenvironmental data, we propose that the emphasis on flamingo exploitation cannot be solely explained by alimentary consumption but also served cultural and symbolic purposes related to the acquisition of feathers, hides, and bones. The unique archeological context of Pedernales-5 offers a distinctive perspective on human dynamics in the Andean highlands during the Early Holocene.