Bioarchaeology of interethnic violence. A model to approach the indigenous attack on Fort San Jose (Valdes Peninsula, Chubut, Argentina)

Solana García Guraieb — 2025-05-26

The available documentary sources show that in 1810 an indigenous attack put an end to the Spanish occupations in Fuerte San José and Puesto de la Fuente (1779-1810) in Peninsula Valdés, Chubut. However, historical information about this episode is scarce and ambiguous, which is why our project has recently developed a specific line of research to discuss this incident within the trajectory of interethnic relations in these settlements. In this context, we present here a model with various possible scenarios to materially characterize the attack based on: a) historical documentation referring to the characteristics and material conditions of the indigenous attack of 1810 on the settlements of Peninsula Valdés; b) broader ethnohistorical sources and studies on material aspects of regional interethnic conflict in the period studied; c) general bioarchaeological information on situations of interpersonal violence and interethnic conflict in different contexts and their material consequences in terms of the bioarchaeological record, including taphonomic aspects linked to the preservation of human remains; d) osteological, archaeological and taphonomic data available and specific to the Fuerte San José context. We then derive bioarchaeological expectations (contextual and osteological) from the model, that will allow us to develop specific strategies in the identification and study of the bioarchaeological record of the malón and differentiate it from other events of mortality and burial of human remains in the settlement. We aim to contribute to the growing field of bioarchaeology of violence, within the framework of ongoing research into historical bioarchaeology in the colonial settlements of Peninsula Valdés.

de la formación y la ocupación del sitio Villa Guasayán Cementerio (Santiago del Estero province, Argentina). Superficial archaeological site or denudation of the land? New contributions to understanding site formation and occupation

Luis Manuel del Papa — 2025-06-02

Villa Guasayán Cementerio (VGC) is an open-air archaeological site located in the homonymous locality, near to the Western slope of the Guasayán hills (Santiago del Estero Province). In previous works carried out in 2009, lithic, pottery (scarce), and archaeofaunistic remains were recovered on the surface and, through morpho-typological analysis of projectile points; the archaeological context was associated with an industry from the late stages of the Preceramic period. In 2017 and 2018, surveys and surface collections were carried out, 11 m² were excavated and aerial photographs were taken with a drone. On this occasion, the chronology and formation site processes are discussed in light of the two new radiocarbon dates and the analysis of pottery remains found in stratigraphy (Sunchitúyoj style), novelty lithic artifacts and the predominance of smaller size faunal resources. The sub-surface nature of the site, the degradation of the soil by meteoric agents and transit of domestic animals (pigs, goats and sheep) made the interpretation of the site difficult. However, despite these post-depositional processes, we consider that VGC corresponds to a residential site of the late Pottery stage seasonally inhabited during summer, from where its inhabitants provided themselves with lithic, pottery and faunal resources, possibly at different distances. Finally, domestic tasks were carried out at VGC that involved the use of pottery (mainly of the Sunchitúyoj style), reduction of cores using the bipolar technique, manufacture and/or reactivation of unifacial tools, spinning tasks, cleaning of skins and consumption of animals, with preponderance of those with smaller size.

Arqueología

Bioarchaeology of interethnic violence. A model to approach the indigenous attack on Fort San Jose (Valdes Peninsula, Chubut, Argentina)

de la formación y la ocupación del sitio Villa Guasayán Cementerio (Santiago del Estero province, Argentina). Superficial archaeological site or denudation of the land? New contributions to understanding site formation and occupation