Abstract

GARCIA P, Christian  and  MENA L, Francisco. ¿La frontera del oeste?: Prospecciones arqueológicas en el bosque montano del extremo occidental del valle medio del río Ibáñez (Andes patagónicos, Chile). Intersecciones antropol. [online]. 2016, vol.17, n.1, pp.49-61. ISSN 1850-373X.

As a way to test the western boundary of the archaeological distribution observed in the valley of the middle section of the Ibáñez River, a design of a systematic archaeological survey was developed. The aim of this paper is to present the survey design used and its application to a challenging area characterized by wooded mountains, with difficult access and poor visibility. The survey of a sample of the study area, allowed the identification of several archaeological items, ranging from isolated finds to artifact concentrations and rockshelters with paintings. It also allowed the systematic recording of other already known sites. These findings challenge the assumption that this section of the valley corresponds to an absolute limit for archaeological distributions; thus leading to new questions and research activities. Although the original survey design could not be applied without modification, we consider that the practice was successful. The flexible and judicious application of this survey design actually led to new findings and offered a tool to test an assumption about the distribution of material evidence of a cultural system.

Keywords : Archaeological survey; Mountain forests; Patagonian Andes; Archaeological boundaries.

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