The construction of a regional lithic resource database is an appropriate strategy for studying the relationship between people and the rocks in their environment. This study focuses on Alma Gaucha, a locality situated in the north-central sector of the Deseado Massif (Santa Cruz, Argentine Patagonia), with the aim of characterizing the distribution and diversity of lithic resources, as well as the social practices linked to their exploitation. To this end, the concept of quarry complex is incorporated, which allows to define different spaces, objects, and activities associated with procurement zones (e.g., resource processing, learning, camps, and shelters). Fieldwork identified eight procurement and quarry zones, each with varying sizes, lithologies, and types of outcrops. In these zones, transportable rock masses and blanks were extracted, and in some cases, bifacial tools and other artifacts were shaped.
T The early sedentary societies of Antofagasta de la Sierra (southern Argentine Puna) have been studied through a model that proposes a mixed agro-pastoral settlement-subsistence system involving functionally complementary occupations across the different environmental sectors of the basin. In recent decades, a series of sites in the intermediate sectors of the basin have shown that the variability of the living spaces is broader than expected under the site-categorization scheme of the model (residential bases vs. logistical campsites). Within this framework, the techno-typological analysis of the lithic assemblage from Structure 4A (E4A) at the Las Escondidas site, located in the intermediate sector of the Miriguaca River ravine, addresses the functional expectations for sites in these sectors, characterized by particular environmental conditions. Furthermore, the indices of artifact diversity and homogeneity at this site allow these expectations to be evaluated relationally with other sites in the area. Taken together with the typological characterization of the assemblage, the raw materials, production trajectories, and the reconstruction of practices linked to the production and use of lithic tools at E4A, these data highlight previously overlooked aspects of lithic technology in the evaluation of settlement models and suggest possibilities of site occupation that may have been underestimated.
A large quantity of archaeological remains has been collected over several decades along more than 15 km of coastline around Centinela del Mar (Buenos Aires province). These remains consist mainly of refined earthenware fragments, bone cutlery handles, and artifacts of nautical origin. The coverage of these findings in public media prompted an archaeological evaluation, which included interviews with collectors, a general analysis of the collections, and a coastal survey. The study of the assemblages and their distribution, combined with historical information, supports the hypothesis that the remains correspond to a commercial cargo lost in a shipping mishap between the early and mid-19th century while en route to a Pacific harbor. Several lines of investigation are proposed to further evaluate this interpretation. Both natural and anthropogenic site formation processes in coastal environments are considered, along with the challenges associated with their management. Finally, the study provides insights into the social practices surrounding maritime cultural heritage.
