Archivo de la categoría: Artículos

Ratto, N., D. Carniglia y L. Coll. 2012. Ocupación del área de “Los Seismiles” desde tiempos Formativos a recientes (Departamento Tinogasta, Catamarca): nuevas evidencias. Relaciones de la Sociedad Argentina de Antropología XXXVII (1): 207-216

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En este trabajo damos a conocer, por un lado, nueva evidencia arquitectónica sobre la ocupación de las tierras altas, puna transicional y altoandina, en tiempos prehispánicos. Las instalaciones son uni o multicomponentes cuyos emplazamientos se relacionan con la vega de San Francisco (4000 msnm) y el volcán San Francisco (6016 msnm), respectivamente. Sostenemos que sus construcciones respondieron a objetivos diversos, entre los que se destacan el aprovechamiento de las vegas de altura con fines de caza y la conformación de una red logística de apoyo para el ascenso a la cumbre del mencionado volcán con fines ceremoniales.

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Bonomo, N., A. Osella y N. Ratto. 2010. Detecting and mapping buried buildings with GPR at an ancient village in Northwestern Argentina. Journal of Archaeological Science 37: 3247-3255.

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We describe an archaeo-geophysical investigation performed near the Palo Blanco archaeological site, Catamarca, Argentina. A large area beyond the northern limit of the site was explored with the Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) method in order to detect new buildings. The exploration showed signals of mud-walls in a sector that was located relatively far from the previously known buildings. A detailed survey was performed in this sector, and the results showed that the walls belonged to a large dwelling with several rooms. The discovery of this dwelling has considerably extended the size of the site, showing that the dwellings occupied at least twice the originally assumed area. High-density GPR surveys were acquired at different parts of the discovered building in order to resolve complex structures. Interpreted maps of the building were obtained. Different characteristics of the walls were satisfactory determined, in spite of the low contrast of the dielectric constant at their interfaces and the noticeable spatial fluctuations of the signals due to wall collapses. Systematic excavations confirmed the GPR maps providing further relevant information about the characteristics of the walls and the occupational floor, as well as material for radiocarbon analyses. These analyses indicated that the discovered building was occupied until about AD 880. This fact extends 180 years the previously known period for the village, and also for the settlements in the region (formerly, AD 200 to AD 700). The performed investigations moreover confirmed different architectural characteristics assumed for Palo Blanco, related to the internal and external layouts. Interconnection between the rooms without intermediary courtyards seems to indicate a better use of the internal spaces and a more integrated spatial conception in Palo Blanco than in other villages of the region.

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Martino, L., Bonomo, N., Lascano, E., Osella, A., Ratto, N. 2006. Geoelectrical and GPR joint prospection in the ancient Palo Blanco archaelogical site, NW Argentina, Geophysics 71(6): 193-199.

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We conducted a geophysical survey at the Palo Blanco archaeological site located in Catamarca, Argentina. Age estimates from radiocarbon dating indicate first occupation of the site around 1500 years ago. The first description of the site was done in 1960. At that time, five residential units with different architectural arrangements were reported. These structures had different levels of deterioration caused by exposure and human activities. Some of these original structures have become completely covered by sediments. To aid in the design of efficient excavation plans, detailed maps are required to locate the buried walls. For this purpose, we conducted geophysical surveys over one of the structures. We had poor documentation about the structure at the time of the survey. Only one of the walls described in the earlier report was partially visible.We used two geophysical methods: ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity. We performed 2D inversion of the resistivity data, together with numerical GPR simulations. These helped to distinguish the expected reflection events from others, aiding in a correct interpretation of the data. Finally, wemade a complementary interpretation of the resistivity and GPR data to compile a detailed map of the selected structure. We found that considering the two methods independently would have led to an incomplete map.We delineated a much more complex structure than originally expected and designed an excavation plan which was carried out. The layout of the rooms of the structure fully matched the predictions based on the interpretation used in detecting the walls and their depths. In this way, the geophysical forecasts were confirmed after excavation.

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Laprida, C., A. Díaz y N. Ratto. 2006. Ostracods (Crustacea) From Thermal Waters, Southern Altiplano, Argentina. Micropaleontology 52(2):177-188.

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The ostracod fauna from la Terma hot spring (26°55’31» S – 68° 08’45.7″W, 4026m above sea level), Southern Altiplano, Argentina, is described and the pool itself characterized. The occurrence of ostracods in this type of environments is registered for the first time in Argentina. Six species were found, two of which is new to the fauna of Argentina: Penthesilenula incae (Delachaux) and Hemicypris panningi (Brehm). Two species were found for the first time in the Altiplano: H. panningi (Brehm) and Cypridopsis fuhrmanni (Méhes). Some comments concerning how and when these species could spread to populate the Dry Altiplano are discussed briefly taking into account paleoclimatic data. This paper provides the first record of ostracods from the Southern Altiplano, Argentina.

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Ratto, N. y M. Orgaz. 2002-2004 La cacería en los Andes: registro material del chaku en la Puna meridional catamarqueña (Cazadero Grande, Dpto Tinogasta, Catamarca). Arqueología 12:72-102.

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En este trabajo presentamos y discutimos la presencia de macroestructuras con perímetros que exceden los 1.000 metros, localizadas a 3.500 m.s.n.m. en la pampa de altura de Cazadero Grande (Dpto. Tinogasta, Catamarca), Las evidencias arquitectónicas (La Lampaya y El Matambre) consisten en alineaciones de piedras simples, con altura que no exceden los 0,30 m. La hipótesis de trabajo propone que las macroestructura son el resultado material de cacerías cornuuales (chacos) realizados mediante las técnicas de caza llamadas chaku y/o lipi, las que fueran utilizada en la región de Cazadero Grande en tiempos prehispánicos, adquiriendo de esta forma el espacio explotado connotaciones de índole económica y ceremonial.

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Ratto, N. 2006. El Arcaico y el Formativo en la Puna de Chaschuil a través del diseño de las puntas líticas (Departamento Tinogasta, Catamarca) Cazadores Recolectores Del Cono Sur. Revista De Arqueología 1:93-110.

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Mediante la implementación de una metodología distribucional se recuperaron puntas líticas de distintos diseños en distintas geoformas de la puna de Chaschuil (Dpto. Tingasta, Catamarca). Para su calibración temporal relativa se procedió a: (i) analizar la presencia o ausencia de su asociación con clases artefactuales cerámicas y/o arquitectónicas; (ii) comparar la muestra con diseños provenientes de contextos estratificados extra-regionales puneños, y (iii) utilizar a la pátina de los artefactos líticos como un indicador temporal relativo. El resultado es que los loci concentradores de nutrientes, especialmente aquellos con formaciones rocosas asociadas, fueron seleccionadas como espacios explotados desde el Arcaico Inferior hasta etapas Agropastoriles, ampliando desde tiempos de las sociedades cazadora recolectoras la ocupación del territorio puneño tinogasteño.

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Plá, R. y N. Ratto. 2007. Archaeometry at the Argentine National Atomic Energy Commission: Characterization of Argentine Northwestern pottery. Archaeometry 49 (2):411-418.

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This paper provides a description of the Nuclear Analytical Techniques Group of the ArgentineNational Atomic Energy Commission, at the Ezeiza Atomic Center. In 1963, this laboratory performed the first application of neutron activation analysis in Argentina and currently employs the technique to analyse a variety of matrices, including archaeological ceramics. The group has collaborated on different research projects since the 1980s, when the first characterization of archaeological ceramics was performed. A brief history of the laboratory and the results from the analysis of potsherds and raw materials from northwesternArgentina are presented below.

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Lía, V. A. Confalonieri, N.Ratto, J.A. Cámara Hernández, A.M. Miante Alzogaray, L. Poggio & T.A. Brown. 2007. Microsatellite typing of ancient maize: insights into the history of agriculture in southern South America. Proceeding of the Royal Academy of London 274(1609): 545-554.

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Abstract: Archaeological maize specimens from Andean sites of southern South America, dating from 400 to 1400 years before present, were tested for the presence of ancient DNA and three microsatellite loci were typed in the specimens that gave positive results. Genotypes were also obtained for 146 individuals corresponding to modern landraces currently cultivated in the same areas and for 21 plants from Argentinian lowland races. Sequence analysis of cloned ancient DNA products revealed a high incidence of substitutions appearing in only one clone, with transitions prevalent. In the archaeological specimens, there was no evidence of polymorphism at any one of the three microsatellite loci: each exhibited a single allelic variant, identical to the most frequent allele found in contemporary populations belonging to races Amarillo Chico, Amarillo Grande, Blanco and Altiplano. Affiliation between ancient specimens and a set of races from the Andean complex was further supported by assignment tests. The striking genetic uniformity displayed by the ancient specimens and their close relationship with the Andean complex suggest that the latter gene pool has predominated in the western regions of southern South America for at least the past 1400 years. The results support hypotheses suggesting that maize cultivation initially spread into South America via a highland route, rather than through the lowlands.

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Castañeda, E. y N. Ratto. 2009. Analysis of Some Meteorological Variables Recorded at 4000 m In the Argentinian Subtropical Andean Region. Revista ATMÓSFERA 22 (3): 253-264.

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An automated weather station was installed in January 2004 for the first time at the Destacamento Las Gru¬tas of Gendarmería Nacional, Province of Catamarca (26°52’35”S, 68°18’37”W, 4000 masl). From April to December, meteorological conditions on the mountain were observed in order to better understand the high-altitude subtropical meteorology. This article documents the design, installation, and operation of the weather station, and presents a discussion of the collected measurements. The analyzed variables were air temperature, maxima and minima temperatures, humidity, precipitation, wind, as well as the occurence of snow, registered by the staff at Gendarmería. Large daily variability was recorded in most variables, which is not unexpected given the geographical location. Daily fields of the NCEP /NCAR Reanalysis relate the dates of large variability to cold surges affecting the region. Hourly wind direction measurements show preferential directions of SW-NW, with the largest variability occurring during November and December, indicating that moisture enters the region from different sources.

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