20174904(en)/002-Projectile Point Designs in the Santa María Valley (Catamarca, Argentina): An Approach to the Hunter - Gatherer Occupation
PROJECTILE POINT DESIGNS IN THE SANTA MARÍA VALLEY (CATAMARCA, ARGENTINA): AN APPROACH TO THE HUNTER - GATHERER OCCUPATION
DISEÑOS DE PUNTAS DE PROYECTIL EN EL VALLE DE SANTA MARÍA (CATAMARCA, ARGENTINA): UNA APROXIMACIÓN A LA OCUPACIÓN CAZADORA - RECOLECTORA
Agustin Agnolin y Juan Pablo Carbonelli
In this paper, we present the techno-morphological and design analysis carried out on 200 lithic points belonging to both museum and surface collections from the Santa María Valley, Catamarca province, Argentina. A total of 10 morphological types, which have been recognized for the Puna region, specifically for the micro-region of Antofagasta de la Sierra, were identified. As such, morphological types are limited to specific time frames, based on the coincidence in design with the specimens analyzed it is possible to infer hunter-gatherer occupation in the Santa María Valley since at least the early Holocene. This becomes even more evident when analyzing the production method and observing the fractures caused by use in the edge of available specimens. The circulation of raw materials between highlands and valleys is evidenced in the lithic points
corresponding to moments of transition to an agricultural-pastoral life with the addition of obsidian.
