OBSIDIAN SOURCES AND USE FROM FOREST AND LAKE ENVIROMENT OF NORTH PATAGONIAN ANDES (NEUQUEN PROVINCE, ARGENTINA)

OBSIDIAN SOURCES AND USE FROM FOREST AND LAKE ENVIROMENT OF NORTH PATAGONIAN ANDES (NEUQUEN PROVINCE, ARGENTINA). We present the results of X ray fluorescence analysis of 363 obsidian artifacts (nodules, debitage, cores, and projectile points) from the forest region and transition to steppe of the southern part of Neuquen province, and of neutron activation of 29 fragments of the sources we call Lacar (chemical group QU/AP), Lolog (chemical group CP-LL 1), Filo Hua-Hum (FHH), Paillakura (Pk, ex Unknown #1), Meliquina (MQ, ex Unknown # 2) and Yuco (YC). Pk and CP/LL1 were used since the Early Holocene in sites of the Limay river. With this exponential expansion of the sample from our study area we have identified for the first time the presence of Portada Covunco (PC 1) and Cerro Huenul (CHN) obsidian from the center and North of Neuquen. A continuous pattern shows that during the Late Holocene CP/LL 1 and Pk were the most utilized sources, followed by QU/AP and MQ. The analysis of instruments (projectile points) indicated that populations of the islands and coasts of the Lacar and Meliquina lakes (30 km away from the source) used Yuco obsidian. This new sample confirms the absence of obsidian from Chilean and Mendoza sources, which allows a discussion of mobility, action range and human territoriality during the Holocene.