Taphonomic evaluation of penguin (Spheniscidae) remains at a shell-midden on the northern coast of Patagonia (San Matías Gulf, Río Negro, Argentina)

Abstract

Archaeological deposits in continental Patagonia that allow an adequate discussion of the exploitation of seabirds, particularly the Spheniscidae, are scarce. In many cases, characteristics of bone assemblages seem to indicate the natural incorporation of penguin bones into archaeological contexts. This suggests it is not always possible to support the argument that the presence of penguin remains indicates, a priori, consumption by humans. The Bajada de los Pescadores (BP2) site, San Matías Gulf (Río Negro, Patagonia, Argentina), provides a case study that allows the origin of these deposits and their contents to be evaluated in terms of the exploitation of penguins and other marine resources by hunter-gatherers during the Late Holocene. This paper discusses the origin of the archaeological deposit, its context, and the agents involved in its formation. The analysis used criteria formulated previously in the framework of actualistic taphonomic observations, with the aim of assessing the integrity of this sample, and evaluating its contribution towards clarifying the role of penguins in the subsistence of people on the northern Patagonian coast.