Geographic vectors of human mobility in the Andes (34-36 degrees S): Comparative analysis of 'minor' obsidian sources

摘要

We have carried out long-term comparative in a wide latitudinal range of the Andes (29 degrees - 37 degrees south), encompassing selected areas that differ in ecology and biogeography. This latitudinal span shows diversity in subsistence modes across time and space, ranging from Andean agro-pastoralists in the north to Patagonian hunter-gatherers in the south. As part of this research, a program of geochemical and archaeological characterization of obsidian sources and distributions is being developed, attempting to assess connections between different biogeographical contexts. This work has allowed recognizing five Andean sources with different geological and topographical properties. Stemming from this macro-regional endeavor, in this paper we present a comparative analysis of the human use of two sources that, based on the intensity of human use on a macro-regional scale, can be interpreted as 'minor' sources.