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This paper proposes an archaeometric contribution to the study of the Inca pottery style from the southeastern frontier of Tawantinsuyu, also known as the Inca Empire, located in Central Western Argentina (CWA). In complementing previous research, a geochemical and mineralogical characterisation of ceramics from various Inca and local sites is carried out by combining X-ray fluorescence analysis (WD-XRF), powder X-ray diffraction analysis (PXRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX). The exhaustive statistical treatment and discussion of the chemical data, complemented by mineralogical and microstructural data gathered through PXRD and SEM-EDX techniques, provide significant insights into the provenance of raw materials, paste recipes, firing conditions, estimated firing temperature and post-depositional contaminations. A complex structure comprising six meaningful ceramic groups has been identified, with some of them attributed to hypothetical provenance areas defined by previous research. Additionally, many ceramics remained ungrouped. Despite the identified compositional variability, certain technological attributes exhibit a higher degree of homogeneity. The estimated firing temperature and microstructure of the pottery denote some control over firing conditions to produce vessels with high mechanical strength and toughness suitable for storage and short-distance distribution. The results of both compositional and technological analyses point to the existence of multiple production loci within a domestic or communitarian model of production sharing the same pottery tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Limited knowledge exists about rock outcrops in Argentina, especially in the Puna ecoregion. This study investigated small and medium-sized mammal diversity using caves and crevices in Desert Puna's rocky areas. Three rock outcrop sites, >1 km apart at Don Carmelo Reserve, were equipped with five camera traps each. Monitoring spanned 34 days (dry season) and 22 days (wet season). Five mammal species utilized caves and crevices, with 99% sampling coverage in both seasons. The wet season had slightly higher species richness, while the dry season showed higher diversity. Co-occurrence analysis revealed multiple rodent species sharing caves, indicating substantial species sharing and potential interactions in this habitat. These findings enhance our understanding of mammalian communities and the ecological complexities of the Puna ecoregion. Rock outcrops are important environments worldwide because of the biodiversity they support. Rock outcrops represent stable refuges for wildlife, providing a space with thermal buffering, water and food in Desert Puna. We suggest it is necessary to include restrictions on human activities likely to affect rock outcrops, for they are sites of high local diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Central Western Argentina (CWA), the Provincial Inca pottery has been the most ubiquitous indicator of Inca influence and expansionism during the fifteenth–sixteenth centuries. This paper presents a petrographic analysis of thin sections of ceramic samples from the Inca and local sites located throughout CWA, in order to contribute to the study of the provenance of raw materials, technology, and distribution networks. The results point to a heterogeneous petrographic composition, consistent with a decentralized production model. However, major uniformity in pastes, and a higher correlation with the local geology, is identified in two sectors: the Uspallata Valley and Southern San Juan. Some innovations in production practices (such as grog and volcanic glass inclusions) are also noteworthy, probably in relation to the emergence of new socio-ethnic identities. This information is compared with their archaeological background to contribute to the discussion of the organization of pottery production during the Inca dominance of the state’s southern frontier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The avian family of barn owls (Tytonidae, Strigiformes) is the most geographically widespread group of owls in the world and one of the most common accumulators of small mammal bone and tooth remains recovered from archaeological and palaeontological sites. The present study analyses the taphonomic characteristics of modern barn owl pellet‐derived small mammal bone and tooth accumulations at three roosting sites from the central Monte Desert, one of the most arid regions of South America. In order to identify the taphonomic signature of this predator in the formation of zooarchaeological and palaeontological accumulations, taxonomic structure, relative abundance of skeletal elements, bone and teeth breakage patterns, and digestion were evaluated. Taphonomic results locate the barn owl in modification category 1 (light modifier). Although the general taphonomic results obtained in the present study were similar to a common barn owl pattern, the three samples showed variability both among them and with other samples previously reported in different regions of the world. Very light digestion was detected on incisors, whereas the proportion of digestion on incisors was close to 20%. Cricetid and murid rodents as well as marsupials were detected. Salinomys delicatus, a scarcely known and endangered cricetid species, was recovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central Western Argentina is an area archeologically defined as one of the southernmost limits of farming in the pre-Hispanic Americas. Optimal foraging models help to predict important changes in faunal use prior to the adoption of agriculture related to resource depression and environmental changes. This paper evaluates changes in pre-Hispanic human subsistence from a zooarchaeological perspective and explores archeological record trends from the northern area of Central Western Argentina. Using zooarchaeological information in Northern Mendoza (Central Western Argentina), trends related to the human exploitation of faunal resources were explored in connection with time and space. Two high-ranked resource indexes were calculated: the artiodactyl index and a high-ranked resources index. The results show a decrease in the dependence on high-ranked resources by human groups after ca. 2000 bp and an increase in richness, indicating a diet breath expansion. Long-term trends in the density of radiocarbon dates suggest a considerable population growth after ca. 2000 bp. These trends are consistent with the contemporary changes reported by other archaeological proxies in Northern Mendoza. The results of the zooarchaeological analysis confirm changes in human organization around 2000 years bp that reflect an intensification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A biogeographic model used to describe human peopling of southern Mendoza, central western Argentina, proposed an intensification process activated by an increase in population growth rate during the Late Holocene. During this process, high‐ranked resources at the surroundings of residential camps were depleted, and hunter–gatherers broadened their diet by incorporating a larger number of low‐ranked prey and domesticated plant resources. In this paper, we evaluate an alternative hypothesis, focusing on zooarchaeological data from the Diamante River basin. The results show that faunal resource intensification does not appear to have occurred in the Diamante River basin during the Late Holocene. Faunal consumption in Diamante River basin mainly reflects the local fauna in each ecological zone. The data do not show a lack of higher ranked resources. We suggest it is more likely that the demographic increase was not significant enough to cause an impact on the faunal resources. The archaeological evidence should be improved and analysed in smaller scales to continue with the intensification debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Fossil plants from the Lower Cretaceous (upper Aptian) of the La Cantera Formation, Argentina, are described. The fossils studied represent a leafy shooting system with several orders of articulated and striated axes and attached leaves with unequivocal ephedroid affinity. We also found associated remains of ovulate cones with four whorls of sterile bracts, which contain two female reproductive units (FRU). Ovulate cone characters fit well within the genus Ephedra. Special characters in the ovulate cones including an outer seed envelope with two types of trichomes, allowed us to consider our remains as a new Ephedra species. Abundant dispersed ephedroid pollen obtained from the macrofossil-bearing strata also confirms the abundance of Ephedraceae in the basin. The co-occurrence of abundant fossil of Ephedra (adapted to dry habitats) associated with thermophilic cheirolepideacean conifer pollen ( Classopollis) in the unit would suggest marked seasonality at the locality during the Early Cretaceous. Furthermore, the floristic association is linked to dry sensitive rocks in the entire section. The macro- and microflora from San Luis Basin are similar in composition to several Early Cretaceous floras from the Northern Gondwana floristic province, but it may represent one of the southernmost records of an arid biome in South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Comechingonia: Revista de Arqueología is the property of Comechingonia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Change or continuity of the human diet after the Spanish settlement in America is a topic mostly addressed in historical written documents with little use of the archaeological record and bioarchaeological or culture material. To counteract this weakness, this paper presents a study of the diet in individuals living in central-western Argentina between the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. The paper, focusing on historical bioarchaeology using stable isotopes (δC, δN, δO) from bone samples of human skeletal remains found in Mendoza, Argentina. The aim is to reconstruct the human diet and its residential mobility. Our results show little inclusion of maize in these populations' diets, significantly less than those for the same region during pre-Hispanic times. The data do not indicate a historic continuity in dietary practices between pre-Hispanic and post Hispanic human population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Revista Espanola de Antropologia Americana is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Intersecciones en Antropología is the property of Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)