Ancient human occupation of the patagonian andean dead ends: measuring the intensity of land use at the fringes of the northern ice field (aisen, chile)

Patagonia's main circulation routes, which were located in the eastern area of this region, fostered a marginal occupation of western valleys, possibly by means of seasonal, complementary visits, resulting in less intense settlements. Luis Borrero's conception of the occupation of "Andean dead ends" is the pivotal framework for the study of Patagonia's western valleys. In particular, the area circumscribed by the General Carrera and Cochrane lakes and the Northern Ice field stands as a remarkable example of a dead end. In this archaeological study, we focus on the human occupation of this area by assessing site distribution, chronology, and occupational redundancy as a way of providing a preliminary outlook on an understudied area. Results suggest that human occupations extended over the last 8600 years, at first discontinuously, and with greater continuity after 3000 cal. BP. Site variability, assemblage richness, and redundancy at a site scale came alongside regional continuity. These trends are remarkably similar to those detected east of the study area and hold important differences from other to the basins north of Central Western Patagonia.