Abstract
The Negro river is the most important inner fluvial course in Uruguay. Its basin, mainly the middle portion, has produced an unusual archaeological record characterized by a significant evidence of Paleoindian remains. Systematic archaeological research allowed conducting a number of field and laboratory activities. The identification of Paleoindian vestiges and buried sites was a significant focus of this investigation. The advances on surveys and excavations in Los Molles and Minas de Callorda sites are reported. Different dating methods yielded the first dates in the area and diverse technological analyses on lithic artifacts allow recognizing the existence of unreported techniques and reduction strategies. Functional studies with special attention to Paleo-South American vestiges permitted to identify diverse micro-wear clues. Finally, the role of river basins in the peopling of the eastern part of the southern cone and the hypothesis about the origin of the fishtail pattern is discussed.
Highlights
One of the most intriguing topics of the archeology of the New World is the human colonization and spread through the continent
Archaeologists frequently speak of the “First Americans”, “Early Man”, “Paleo Americans” and, “Paleoindian” as the earliest stage in the socio-cultural history of the Americas in which the hunter-gatherer societies lived during the Late Wisconsin Ice Age
In the history of the field of the First Americans studies, the southern cone (Republics of Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and south of Brazil) of South America has played an important role since the end and early XIX and XX centuries respectively (e.g. Ameghino, 1918; Bird, 1938, 1946; among others)
Summary
One of the most intriguing topics of the archeology of the New World is the human colonization and spread through the continent. Terminal Pleistocene archaeological remains are abundant in Uruguay, among them unequivocal Fell points that are wide-spread in comparison to other parts of South America They were encountered since the end of the XIX century (Figueira, 1892) and currently, more than 120 specimens were recorded and photographed by Jorge Femenías. It shows details of the final shaping by short pressure retouches after a careful bifacial flaking by soft percussion They are similar to several specimens found in Uruguayan locales, such as Boicuá creek (Cordero, 1960: Figure 45), middle Negro River (Bosch et al, 1980: #1; Nami, 2010a: Lam. II: g, l). They have strong morphological and technical similarities with those specimens reported from Pali Aike, Fell and Los Toldos caves
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