Abstract

ZILIO, Leandro. Coexistence of three modalities of human burial during The late holocene in the northern coast of santa cruz: The cases of el zanjón 3, shag and el amanecer burials. Comechingonia [online]. 2018, vol.22, n.2, pp.1-10. ISSN 1851-0027.

In this paper we analyze three human burials from the northern coast of Santa Cruz, which have similar radiocarbon ages. The archaeological contexts, called El Zanjón 3 (2850 ± 60 years BP), Shag (2670 ± 70 years BP) and El Amanecer (2890 ± 60 years BP), show different burial modalities; in pit, ring and dune, respectively. It arises as a question whether the three types of burial could represent a multiplicity of mortuary treatments carried out by the same socio-cultural group in this coastal strip, or if, on the contrary, they could belong to different human groups. Different analytical approximations are developed to recognize differences and similarities between the mortuary contexts in order to generate information that allows an approximation to this problem. The three burials were characterized; the dates were calibrated and a sum of probabilities was made; in addition bioarchaeological determinations were performed; paleodietary trends from the analysis of stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen (d¹³C and d¹⁵N, collagen and apatite) and oxygen (d¹⁸O) were inferred. Finally, new information that allows us to delve about the mortuary variability of hunter-gatherer populations that inhabited Patagonia is presented.

Keywords : mortuary practices ; hunter; gatherers ; radiocarbon dates ; stable isotopes.