Expanding the Edge: The Use of Caves and Rockshelters during the Late-Pleistocene Human Dispersal into the Central Atacama Highlands

Abstract

ABSTRACTSeveral archaeological sites located in caves and rockshelters in the highlands of the Central Atacama Desert reflect the late-Pleistocene peopling of the area (13,000–11,500 cal yr BP). Based on study of the lithic technology and other complementary data, we suggest that they were used as hunting stations and transient camps, mostly intended for specialized tasks as part of long-distance mobility. The gradual extension of the logistical radii of hunter-gatherer groups already adapted to high-altitude environments appears to be the most likely explanation for the early peopling of the area.