Áreas persistentes de entierro en cazadores-recolectores del Noroeste de Patagonia: sitio Hermanos Lazcano (Chos Malal, Neuquén)

Abstract

This work present the bioarchaeological characterization of the Hermanos Lazcano site and the results are discussed in relation to the regional bioarchaeological record, establishing the state of bone preservation, the sexual and age composition of the sample, the chronology and the presence of intentional modifications of the site. skull. It is a multiple burial from 3780 years BP, composed of a minimum number of four subadults and eight adults of both sexes. The bone set shows a high rate of fragmentation and a poor state of preservation. The presence of modification of the circular and pseudo-circular skull was determined. The cultural material includes mill bases, beads and a shell pendant, a stone sphere and trapezoidal stones. These results indicate that the emergence of burial areas with a high concentration of individuals would have occurred in the hunter-gatherer groups of northern Neuquén at earlier times than in other Patagonian regions, where the oldest records do not exceed 3000 years BP.