ESTIMATION AGE OF DEATH OF JUVENILE GUANACOS USING UNFUSED LONG BONE SIZES. AGE STRUCTURE AND SEASONALITY IN PALI AIKE LAVA FIELD (OREJAS DE BURRO 1 SITE)

From the morphological patterns of a modern population of Lama guanicoe we develop a technique to derive the age-death of fossil juvenile guanacos using the unfused long bones sizes. This new methodological tool improves the estimation of age structures of guanaco bone assemblages. This aspect contributes to the discussion of the hunting, prey selection, and seasonal strategies used in the exploitation of the main terrestrial prey of hunter-gatherers during the Holocene in Patagonia. As a case study, the guanaco sample from the Orejas de Burro 1 site is analyzed in order to discuss the seasonality of human occupation during the late Holocene in the argentine area of Pali Aike volcanic field.