HUMANS AT THE END OF THE PLEISTOCENE IN FUEGO-PATAGONIA

The Late Pleistocene archaeological record of Southern Patagonia is ephemeral and discontinuous. Very few sites contain human occupations dated between 12 and 10 ka B.P., and short stays are indicated by the small number of bones and the low rate of artifacts deposition. The former may be the result of the operation of destructive forces through time, but the latter clearly marks minimal human presence. The faunal assemblages are dominated by guanaco remains, but usually include a few Pleistocene megamammal bones. The relative abundance of large versus medium sized mammals may be a function of differential transport costs. These properties are indicative of a highly mobile adaptation during the initial exploration of the region. Since this process took place under a very cold and dry climate, human mobility was probably related to those conditions. For example, circulation using natural corridors in extra-Andean Patagonia was probably facilitated during these cold and dry pulses.