Papers by Jimena Torres Elgueta
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2024
Marked environmental changes occurred in the southern Patagonian archipelago during the middle an... more Marked environmental changes occurred in the southern Patagonian archipelago during the middle and late Holocene, including increased variability in glacial coverage and marine productivity. Those changes likely impacted the lives of marine hunter gatherers and their exploitation of faunal resources. Here, we examine temporal trends in fishes captured during the mid- and late Holocene, including variation in stable isotope values (δ13C and δ15N) of the most commonly exploited taxa to explore potential changes in fishing strategies due to environmental and cultural causes. We examined fish remains from eight archaeological sites and cultural pe- riods in the Strait of Magellan. The ichthyoarchaeological results indicate drastic changes in the assemblages of fishes captured, with demersal species dominating catches before 2700 cal. yr BP and a subsequent switch to coastal fishes associated with subtidal kelp forests afterwards until 500 cal yr BP, both in the Strait of Magellan and adjacent seas. Although limited by sample sizes, our isotopic data show little obvious variation in Eleginops maclovinus over the different periods. However, Patagonotothen sp. and Salilota australis displayed significant isotopic shifts during the Holocene, but followed distinct, taxon-specific trajectories. This suggests that responses to the late Holocene environmental changes differed between species. This study also contributes to the baseline ecological information prior to the impact of modern industrial fishing practices with data from native fishes that are important components in kelp forests (Macrocystis pyrifera) ecosystems of the sub-Antarctic region.
Primera Conferencia Internacional CHIC “Cambio Global y Conservación Biocultural. Puerto Williams, Chile, 2023
Les Nouvelles de l'Archéologie, 2021
This study seeks to determine the role and cultural significance of otariids and mustelids in the... more This study seeks to determine the role and cultural significance of otariids and mustelids in the historical and cultural evolution of the Strait of Magellan, at the southern tip of South America. The geographical location of this inter-oceanic corridor not only allowed the passage of European navigators with geopolitical and commercial ambitions from the beginning of the 16th century, but also made possible the exchange, transmission and transformation of knowledge about the sea. Our research focuses on the hunting of pinnipeds and otters with a broad temporal approach, taking into account archaeozoological evidence from occupation sites dating from around 7,500 years ago to recent times. Historical data on the activity of foreign hunters in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the waters of the Strait of Magellan were also taken into account, at a time when the overexploitation of sea lions was having an impact on the demography of pinnipeds and, consequently, on marine ecosystems. The archaeological study shows that, despite the fact that this type of hunting was an important economic resource from the earliest occupations of canoeing or marine nomadic Indians, there are cultural periods in which it played a less prominent role than seabird hunting or fishing (ca. 3200 to 2300 BP). This suggests that its importance for the subsistence of these human groups is not constant, perhaps due to factors that we do not know today related to environmental changes and/or cultural phenomena. Finally, we have been able to observe the evolution of the role played by pinnipeds and otters in the indigenous socio-cultural context, which from being a vital resource, necessary for food, shelter and habitation, became, over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, a commodity destined for inter-ethnic trade and commerce. This development will have major repercussions for these societies.
JOURNAL OF ISLAND AND COASTAL ARCHAEOLOGY, 2020
We describe sclerochronological analyses of tadpole codling (Salilota
australis) vertebrae as a p... more We describe sclerochronological analyses of tadpole codling (Salilota
australis) vertebrae as a proxy for the seasonal timing of fishing
activities at one Middle Holocene (6500 BP) and three Late–Middle
Holocene (3500–2500 years BP) archaeological sites located in Seno
Otway and in the central zone of the Strait of Magellan, Chile. These
data provide an approximation of the population characteristics of
the species in the past by estimating the relationship between size
and age of the archaeological fish and comparing their growth rate
to those of modern specimens captured monthly over one year. The
results showed that the size at age was significantly larger in archaeological
samples than in the modern reference collection. Our
results indicate that fishing activities took place throughout the year
at the Late Holocene sites, with a special emphasis on the cold season,
while the Middle Holocene site showed a tendency to catch
tadpole codling during the warm season.
Quaternary International, 2018
In this paper, we present recent data on Early Holocene human occupations from Taltal, in the coa... more In this paper, we present recent data on Early Holocene human occupations from Taltal, in the coast of the Atacama Desert. We focus on evidences of mobility and subsistence economy, discussing the data in terms of a concept of territoriality adapted from cultural geographers working with hunting-gathering societies. We attempt to show that the Huentelauquén Cultural Complex, usually considered the earliest evidence of human occupation in the coast of northern Chile, exhibits an already consolidated territorialisation process. We question whether it represents the earliest phases of the peopling process or if such evidence are still lacking at a regional level. We try to go beyond the characterization of Huentelauquén Cultural Complex as an early maritime adaptation, understanding it as the earliest socio-territorial identity known to date for the Arid Coast of northern Chile.
Magallania (punta Arenas), 2007
El estudio preliminar del sitio Myren 2 comenzó con su redescubrimiento en 1999 en el marco del p... more El estudio preliminar del sitio Myren 2 comenzó con su redescubrimiento en 1999 en el marco del proyecto FONDECYT 1960027, dirigido por Mauricio Massone, y actualmente se ha ampliado y profundizado su estudio por interés de los proyectos FONDECYT 1060020 y 1070709.
Magallania, 2011
El desarrollo de una prospección arqueológica en la costa de isla Dawson e isla Wickham, ubicadas... more El desarrollo de una prospección arqueológica en la costa de isla Dawson e isla Wickham, ubicadas en una posición estratégica entre las diferentes vías de comunicación que conectan la porción central del estrecho de Magallanes con el archipiélago fueguino, registró 27 yacimientos que corresponden a antiguos campamentos de cazadores-recolectores marinos que habitaron la zona. La realización de excavaciones de sondeo en seis de estos sitios permitió recuperar un interesante conjunto de restos arqueofaunísticos. A partir del análisis de éstos conjuntos, describimos las principales características observadas y ofrecemos un primer panorama referido a la subsistencia de los grupos que habitaron esta zona del archipiélago fueguino.
Tierra del Fuego represents the southernmost limit of human settlement in the Americas. While peo... more Tierra del Fuego represents the southernmost limit of human settlement in the Americas. While people may have started to arrive there around 10 500 BP, when it was still connected to the mainland, the main wave of occupation occurred 5000 years later, by which time it had become an island. The co-existence in the area of maritime hunter-gatherers (in canoes) with previous terrestrial occupants pre-echoes the culturally distinctive groups encountered by the first European visitors in the sixteenth century.
Capítulo 1 entre la caza y la pesca. variaciones en el consUmo de animales entre los pUeblos orig... more Capítulo 1 entre la caza y la pesca. variaciones en el consUmo de animales entre los pUeblos originarios del canal beagle en 6000 años de historia A. Francisco Zangrando 67 Capítulo 2 las aves en la alimentación y tecnología de los pUeblos originarios de la región del canal beagle Angélica M. Tivoli 85 Capítulo 3 caminando sobre sUs hUellas: tecnología lítica en sociedades cazadoras-recolectoras pescadoras del canal beagle Myrian R. Álvarez 109 Capítulo 4 dinámicas económicas de prodUcción-consUmo en el registro lítico cazador-recolector del extremo sUr americano. la sociedad yámana Iván Briz i Godino 125 Capítulo 5 condUctas mortUorias en el canal beagle, Una visión desde el registro etnohistórico y etnográFico Augusto Tessone 149 Segunda parte: los nómades de la estepa y el bosque Capítulo 6 la sUbsistencia de los cazadores-recolectores terrestres del holoceno medio y tardío en el norte de tierra del FUego Elisa M. Calás Persico 171
We present results of research focused on the identification of sites and the analysis of their a... more We present results of research focused on the identification of sites and the analysis of their archaeological evidence in order to reconstruct occupation sequences of marine hunter-gatherer groups at specific localities of Southernmost Patagonia. In this paper we address the characterization of three archaeological
sites at Punta Santa Ana area, Strait of Magellan. The studied assemblages are from camp-sites located at different elevations above current sea level, with dates of 6300, 2700 and 700 years BP (not calibrated). These assemblages have been formed in short time periods and have a number of features that suggest discontinuity in technological traditions and subsistence strategies over time.
Tierra del Fuego represents the southernmost limit of human settlement in the Americas. While peo... more Tierra del Fuego represents the southernmost limit of human settlement in the Americas. While people may have started to arrive there around 10 500 BP, when it was still connected to the mainland, the main wave of occupation occurred 5000 years later, by which time it had become an island. The co-existence in the area of maritime hunter-gatherers (in canoes) with previous terrestrial occupants pre-echoes the culturally distinctive groups encountered by the first European visitors in the sixteenth century. The study also provides a striking example of interaction across challenging natural barriers.
Keywords: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Holocene, human dispersal, hunter-gatherers, barriers, interactions, canoes
Magallania , 2011
The first canoe occupations, 6000 yr bP in the Strait of Magellan and Otway sea, count with impor... more The first canoe occupations, 6000 yr bP in the Strait of Magellan and Otway sea, count with important information on the hunting of marine mammals and their importance in the canoe way of life (Legoupil 1997, San Román 2010, San Román 2011). Similarly, but to a lesser extent, consumption and use of birds (Lefèvre 1997). Nevertheless, so far nothing is known about the exploitation and consumption of fish in this particular area and period. In order to meet this lifestyle aspect and exploitation of resources from more remote coast environments and marine depths, the results of an ictioarchaeological study of ancient archaeological remains from Punta Santa Ana 1 site, recovered by Omar Ortiz-Troncoso (1975, 1979) and attributed to cultural tradition Englefield, are presented. Also, to compare occupations in the same period, assuming the mobility of these groups and their use of various microenvironments of inland seas, evidence of fish found in a test pit at Pizzulic 2 site, located on the Englefield Island, is considered.
Results show a clear focus on Salilota australis (brótula) fishing, species that lives in seabed environments in subtidal areas but prefers greater depths. PSA-1 shows a more diversifed pattern of exploitation that Pizzulic-2. The presence of Rajiform elements (rays) in both sites, especially in Punta Santa Ana 1, is highlighted. These remains have not appeared in contemporary or later contexts.
KEY WORDS: Strait of Magellan, Otway Sea, fishing modalities, Englefield cultural tradition, Salilota australis, Rajiform.
The characterization of lithic bolas and modified cobble collections recovered at Laguna Thomas G... more The characterization of lithic bolas and modified cobble collections recovered at Laguna Thomas Gould site by M. Massone and J. Bird (Massone 1989-1990) is presented. The site is located at the Pali-Aike Volcanic Field, between Chico River and Seco Canyon. Most of the pieces come from surface survey within the dry margins of the lagoon and a few artifacts were obtained from the stratigraphic contexts. Massone, in his 1989 1990 paper, ascribes these artifacts to Magallanes period III, because of the morphological similarities with the bolas J. Bird assigned to this period (Bird 1993). The stratigraphic evidences
were found in excavations practiced by the last author and afterwards by M. Massone in the early 1980 and 1981. Samples gave dates that show human occupations of 4560±130,470±130 and 250±120 years BP. As these artifacts appear through all the occupational sequence, time relations between the evidence and their typological and technological traits can be made.
Despite the mentioning of abandoned lithic “bolas”, their use as a hunting strategy is not consid... more Despite the mentioning of abandoned lithic “bolas”, their use as a hunting strategy is not considered among terrestrial hunter-gatherers ethnographies in Tierra del Fuego. In order to address this issue, plus their late abandonment and other technological aspects, this paper focuses on a typological study
of lithic “bolas” and their chaine operatoire for available mid to late Holocene archaeological contexts near the Magellan strait. Results show some tendencies in the chaine operatoire and in typologies.
Currently, we can only assert their use and manufacture until around 1500 years BP. The last could indicate the abandonment of this hunting technology around 1000 years before European contact.
The first results of a research focused on the evolution of human terrestrial colonization in Tie... more The first results of a research focused on the evolution of human terrestrial colonization in Tierra del Fuego during the Holocene are presented. Emphasis is given to moments before 2000 BP, focusing on the integration of a new methodological strategy to approach the detection of archaeological sites for this period.
MAGALLANIA , 2009
This paper examines the development of fishing strategies by terrestrial hunter-gatherers in nort... more This paper examines the development of fishing strategies by terrestrial hunter-gatherers in northern Tierra del Fuego between 5000 BP and recent times. To do so, archaeological data (technology and fish bones) and ethnographic sources related to fishing practice are assessed. Analysis of this evidence reveals different moments in which the importance of fishing increases as well as some variability in the modes of exploitation. The study also detects the presence of specialized fishing camps dated to around 2300 BP and later times, their position coherent with other marine and terrestrial resources. The paper discusses the presence of fishing corrals in the northern coast of Tierra del Fuego and highlights the permanence and diffusion of technological traditions through time and space in the broad area comprised by the northern and southern archipelagos.
KEY WORD: fishing strategies, Tierra del Fuego, ictioarchaeology, fishing technology, ethnography.
In this paper we attempt to assess and expand the information that can be drawn from the systemat... more In this paper we attempt to assess and expand the information that can be drawn from the systematic analysis of artefacts with a reduced degree of formatization, such as the case of lithic sinkers. In Fuego-Patagonia these artifacts
are found in both early and late maritime contexts and have generally been classified as sinkers for line fishing on the basis of morpho-functional and ethnographic criteria. At the same time, the use of fishing nets is reported among ethnographic terrestrial hunter-gatherers but no mention exists for the use of net sinkers. Ascertaining whether archaeological specimens were used as net or line sinkers is made difficult by a lack of preservation of cordage and the fact that similar artifacts in other regions have been interpreted both as net sinkers and as artifacts unrelated to fishing activities. In this article we attempt to evaluate if differences can be established between both uses and, in this way, approach their role in the subsistence activities of maritime and terrestrial hunter-gatherers.
KEY WORDS: Fishing Technology, lithic sinker, net fish, line fish, Fuegians, Tierra del Fuego.
We present results from the excavation and analysis of archaeological remains from the Playa Negr... more We present results from the excavation and analysis of archaeological remains from the Playa Negra 9 site (PN-9), located in Concepción Bay, Chilean region of Bío-Bío. Our studies provide important information about mid to late Holocene littoral occupations, demonstrating an emphasis on the exploitation and consumption of littoral and maritime resources, and suggesting that fishing may have had played a key role in enabling intensive occupations of these environments. In this connection, the diversity of activities represented, the structure of the zooarchaeological assemblage (especially the overall importance of fish remains), evidence of specialised fishing techniques, and similarities to other sites such as Bellavista 1 (Seguel 1969), identify a specialised adaptation to coastal environments that is also signalled by quotidian and ritual practices.
KEY WORDS: Middle Holocene, Fishing techniques, intensification, ictioarchaeology, Concepción Bay.
In order to develop an thorougth approach into selk`nam`s coastal lifeway, an assay of fishing pr... more In order to develop an thorougth approach into selk`nam`s coastal lifeway, an assay of fishing practices and settlement seasonality, from an ictioarchaeological view, is proposed. In such manner, information provided by ictiological population structure, may be applied in several issues, nevertheless, not free of difficulties in application and explanatory ranges. Concretely, the study was based on ictiological remains of three coastal contexts of Bahía Inútil. At first, a determination of criteria to distinguish natural and cultural contexts was conducted. Then, fishing conducts and seasonality of the occupations, were evaluated.
Key words: selk`nam, ictioarchaeology, fishing strategies, seasonality, taphonomy.
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Papers by Jimena Torres Elgueta
australis) vertebrae as a proxy for the seasonal timing of fishing
activities at one Middle Holocene (6500 BP) and three Late–Middle
Holocene (3500–2500 years BP) archaeological sites located in Seno
Otway and in the central zone of the Strait of Magellan, Chile. These
data provide an approximation of the population characteristics of
the species in the past by estimating the relationship between size
and age of the archaeological fish and comparing their growth rate
to those of modern specimens captured monthly over one year. The
results showed that the size at age was significantly larger in archaeological
samples than in the modern reference collection. Our
results indicate that fishing activities took place throughout the year
at the Late Holocene sites, with a special emphasis on the cold season,
while the Middle Holocene site showed a tendency to catch
tadpole codling during the warm season.
sites at Punta Santa Ana area, Strait of Magellan. The studied assemblages are from camp-sites located at different elevations above current sea level, with dates of 6300, 2700 and 700 years BP (not calibrated). These assemblages have been formed in short time periods and have a number of features that suggest discontinuity in technological traditions and subsistence strategies over time.
Keywords: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Holocene, human dispersal, hunter-gatherers, barriers, interactions, canoes
Results show a clear focus on Salilota australis (brótula) fishing, species that lives in seabed environments in subtidal areas but prefers greater depths. PSA-1 shows a more diversifed pattern of exploitation that Pizzulic-2. The presence of Rajiform elements (rays) in both sites, especially in Punta Santa Ana 1, is highlighted. These remains have not appeared in contemporary or later contexts.
KEY WORDS: Strait of Magellan, Otway Sea, fishing modalities, Englefield cultural tradition, Salilota australis, Rajiform.
were found in excavations practiced by the last author and afterwards by M. Massone in the early 1980 and 1981. Samples gave dates that show human occupations of 4560±130,470±130 and 250±120 years BP. As these artifacts appear through all the occupational sequence, time relations between the evidence and their typological and technological traits can be made.
of lithic “bolas” and their chaine operatoire for available mid to late Holocene archaeological contexts near the Magellan strait. Results show some tendencies in the chaine operatoire and in typologies.
Currently, we can only assert their use and manufacture until around 1500 years BP. The last could indicate the abandonment of this hunting technology around 1000 years before European contact.
KEY WORD: fishing strategies, Tierra del Fuego, ictioarchaeology, fishing technology, ethnography.
are found in both early and late maritime contexts and have generally been classified as sinkers for line fishing on the basis of morpho-functional and ethnographic criteria. At the same time, the use of fishing nets is reported among ethnographic terrestrial hunter-gatherers but no mention exists for the use of net sinkers. Ascertaining whether archaeological specimens were used as net or line sinkers is made difficult by a lack of preservation of cordage and the fact that similar artifacts in other regions have been interpreted both as net sinkers and as artifacts unrelated to fishing activities. In this article we attempt to evaluate if differences can be established between both uses and, in this way, approach their role in the subsistence activities of maritime and terrestrial hunter-gatherers.
KEY WORDS: Fishing Technology, lithic sinker, net fish, line fish, Fuegians, Tierra del Fuego.
KEY WORDS: Middle Holocene, Fishing techniques, intensification, ictioarchaeology, Concepción Bay.
Key words: selk`nam, ictioarchaeology, fishing strategies, seasonality, taphonomy.
australis) vertebrae as a proxy for the seasonal timing of fishing
activities at one Middle Holocene (6500 BP) and three Late–Middle
Holocene (3500–2500 years BP) archaeological sites located in Seno
Otway and in the central zone of the Strait of Magellan, Chile. These
data provide an approximation of the population characteristics of
the species in the past by estimating the relationship between size
and age of the archaeological fish and comparing their growth rate
to those of modern specimens captured monthly over one year. The
results showed that the size at age was significantly larger in archaeological
samples than in the modern reference collection. Our
results indicate that fishing activities took place throughout the year
at the Late Holocene sites, with a special emphasis on the cold season,
while the Middle Holocene site showed a tendency to catch
tadpole codling during the warm season.
sites at Punta Santa Ana area, Strait of Magellan. The studied assemblages are from camp-sites located at different elevations above current sea level, with dates of 6300, 2700 and 700 years BP (not calibrated). These assemblages have been formed in short time periods and have a number of features that suggest discontinuity in technological traditions and subsistence strategies over time.
Keywords: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Holocene, human dispersal, hunter-gatherers, barriers, interactions, canoes
Results show a clear focus on Salilota australis (brótula) fishing, species that lives in seabed environments in subtidal areas but prefers greater depths. PSA-1 shows a more diversifed pattern of exploitation that Pizzulic-2. The presence of Rajiform elements (rays) in both sites, especially in Punta Santa Ana 1, is highlighted. These remains have not appeared in contemporary or later contexts.
KEY WORDS: Strait of Magellan, Otway Sea, fishing modalities, Englefield cultural tradition, Salilota australis, Rajiform.
were found in excavations practiced by the last author and afterwards by M. Massone in the early 1980 and 1981. Samples gave dates that show human occupations of 4560±130,470±130 and 250±120 years BP. As these artifacts appear through all the occupational sequence, time relations between the evidence and their typological and technological traits can be made.
of lithic “bolas” and their chaine operatoire for available mid to late Holocene archaeological contexts near the Magellan strait. Results show some tendencies in the chaine operatoire and in typologies.
Currently, we can only assert their use and manufacture until around 1500 years BP. The last could indicate the abandonment of this hunting technology around 1000 years before European contact.
KEY WORD: fishing strategies, Tierra del Fuego, ictioarchaeology, fishing technology, ethnography.
are found in both early and late maritime contexts and have generally been classified as sinkers for line fishing on the basis of morpho-functional and ethnographic criteria. At the same time, the use of fishing nets is reported among ethnographic terrestrial hunter-gatherers but no mention exists for the use of net sinkers. Ascertaining whether archaeological specimens were used as net or line sinkers is made difficult by a lack of preservation of cordage and the fact that similar artifacts in other regions have been interpreted both as net sinkers and as artifacts unrelated to fishing activities. In this article we attempt to evaluate if differences can be established between both uses and, in this way, approach their role in the subsistence activities of maritime and terrestrial hunter-gatherers.
KEY WORDS: Fishing Technology, lithic sinker, net fish, line fish, Fuegians, Tierra del Fuego.
KEY WORDS: Middle Holocene, Fishing techniques, intensification, ictioarchaeology, Concepción Bay.
Key words: selk`nam, ictioarchaeology, fishing strategies, seasonality, taphonomy.