Animal use in early agro-pastoral societies: zooarchaeological analysis of a midden from the village of Palo Blanco (Fiambalá Valley, Catamarca)

Abstract

In this article, we present the archaeofaunal analysis of an assemblage recovered from a midden located in the village of Palo Blanco (Fiambalá Valley, Catamarca). This analysis allowed us to identify changes and continuities among Palo Blanco’s earliest agro-pastoral societies in regard to animal procurement, management, exploitation, and consumption strategies. The exploitation of domestic camelids was recorded from the beginning of the occupation of Palo Blanco (ca. 400 BC). During the earliest period (400 BC – A.D. 400), domestic camelid use was combined with the exploitation of small wild animals, while after A.D. 400 it was supplemented by the hunting of wild vicuñas. Llamas were raised mainly for their meat, bone marrow and fat; however, these domestic camelids were also used as beasts of burden and as a source of fiber to make textiles and bone to manufacture artifacts. The development and consolidation of this pastoralist strategy was possible in a village context where agriculture provided the main source of sustenance for the villagers while hunting provided additional resources.