20225403(en)/8 - Lithic Artifact Distributions, Chronology, and the Trampling Model (Borrero 1988): Sand Dunes on the North Shore of Lake Viedma (Santa Cruz, Argentine Patagonia)

Juan Bautista Belardi, Flavia Carballo Marina y Patricia Campan

Luis Alberto Borrero changed the way of producing archaeological knowledge in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego (as well as beyond). The interrelationship between distributional archaeology and regional taphonomy–two research programs introduced by him 30 years ago–highlights the importance of three analytical units: the region, the artifact and the element (bone). Combined with an epistemology centered on falsifiability, this is the structure for formulating broad questions mostly related to Holocene hunter-gatherer landscape use. Building on this legacy, the article presents a case study of the winter grounds on the north shore of Lake Viedma. It integrates the taphonomic results of guanaco (Lama guanicoe) with those of artifact distribution. Furthermore, we present new radiocarbon dates that frame the analysis of fauna from several archaeological sites located in the deflation hollows of coastal sand dunes. The identification of a similar set of environmental and archaeological conditions to that proposed by Borrero in 1988 in the trampling model he used for guanacos in Tierra del Fuego demonstrates the latter’s relevance to the Viedma Lake region.

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