Santander, February 19th-22nd 2008 - Aranzadi

Malacological artifacts in Argentine Patagonia
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underwent considerable modifications to such an
extent that it is no longer possible to distinguish the
species the shell belongs to.
Beads of the first kind have been registered at
various sites in eastern Patagonia, scattered in all
the environments of this region: on the coast, as
well as inland and in the Andes (for example,
Gomez and Dahinten 1997–1998, Miotti 1998: 138,
Cassiodoro 2005). They have been found at different
types of sites: housing and domestic usage,
and also associated with human burials as grave
goods –being on many occasions the only present
grave goods–, even over 300 km from the shore
(for example Fig. 2.h). The species that have been
identified belong to small gastropods:
Homalopoma cunninghami, Photinula coerulescens,
and Fissurella sp. (Gómez and Dahinten
1997-1998, Miotti 1998).
Most of the shell beads were manufactured from
considerably modified shells. Great morphological
variation has been found: round, oval, rectangular,
and bell-shaped (Fig. 2.c). Most of them are small,
but there were also some large ones. They abound
in the Neuquén area, associated with occupations
related to historical or post-contact. They are most
often found in small quantities, except for human
burial grave goods, where there can be hundreds of
(Cassiodoro 2005) them. Due to considerable shell
modification, few species could be identified,
among them: the bivalves Aulacomya ater;
Choromytilus chorus and Diplodon patagonicus,
the second one coming exclusively from the Pacific
Ocean, and the third one from fresh water (see Fig.
2.f). They were widely distributed along the river
basins of the Patagonian Atlantic and Pacific
watersheds (Cassiodoro 2005, Crivelli et al. 1993,
Hajduk and Albornoz 1999, Sanguinetti de Bormida
and Curzio 1996).
3.3. Indeterminate artefacts
Other malacological artefacts have been
found at Patagonian inland archaeological sites,
though their purpose is unknown and no specific
usage of those items has been set out. It is very
likely that they served a symbolic purpose or as
ideational carriers among individuals or groups.
Within this category can be included, fragments of
shells or entire shells with different kinds of decorations
or engravings, or unaltered shells found far
away from the coast.
Within the first kind of unknown-purpose artefacts,
entire shells or fragments of them presenting
indentations, polishing, striation, engraved decorations
on one of their sides are included. Their
edges have been evenly shaped, polished or
serrated by means of radial indentations (see Fig.
2.e and 2.f). They also present paint remains inside
(D. Bozzuto, com. pers., Fig. 2.d).
Most of these findings come from the
Provinces of Neuquén and Río Negro, where many
sea shells have been found. Some belong to species
that live only in the Pacific Ocean, which
seems to indicate that they must have been transported
across the Andes (Crivelli et al. 1993: 43).
These remains provide evidence of contact with
other populations on the other slope of the
Cordillera and to the Pacific coast. This also could
reflect that these groups must have had a high
mobility along both sides of the Andes, at least
ever since the middle Holocene. Similar findings
have been reported along the mountain area, from
Neuquén to the south of Santa Cruz. The species
identified are mostly bivalves: Aulacomya ater,
Choromytilus chorus and Diplodon patagonicus
(Hajduk and Albornoz 1999).
The second kind of artefacts that may have
served for an unknown purpose are isolated shells
at inland sites, unique and generally whole. The
most abundant species inland is Aulacomya ater
(Fig. 2.g), since it appears on all Patagonian
regions, especially in Santa Cruz (Miotti 2006,
Espinosa et al. 2007, for example). Another very
common Mytilidae is Mytilus edulis, which appears
at inland sites of the Province of Santa Cruz, especially
in the south (Borrero and Barberena 2008:
293). In the Neuquén area, Choromytilus chorus
and Protothaca thaca –exclusive Pacific Ocean
species– have been found. Whereas at the south of
Santa Cruz, Panopea abbreviata (Carballo Marina
et al. 2000-2002) –a species whose southernmost
distribution is near Deseado ria– was found over
400 km away from its original location (Carballo et
al. 2000-2002). Going down south, near the
Chilean-Argentine frontier, a fragment of Pecten
sp. was found (Gómez 1986-1987: 185). Within the
Gastropod group, the species most commonly
found is Nacella (Patinigera) magellanica, exclusively
found at numerous inland sites of the Province
of Santa Cruz. Other gastropods have also been
found in this province: Trophon sp. and Photinula
caerulescens from the Atlantic Ocean, among
others (Borrero and Barberena 2008: 295).
Some authors have described findings of other
artefacts, inferring an unsupported and very
doubtful usage. In the early 20 th Century, on the
coast of Colhue-Huapi Lake a purported shell
earring from an undefined species was found
MUNIBE Suplemento - Gehigarria 31, 2010
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