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Location | Santa Cruz Province, Argentina |
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Region | Patagonia |
Coordinates | 47°27′00″S68°50′00″W / 47.45000°S 68.83333°W |
History | |
Periods | Late Glacial Interstadial and Holocene |
Cultures | Toldense and Tehuelche |
Los Toldos is an archaeological site in Santa Cruz, Argentina, which has evidenced human activity dating back almost 13,000 years ago. It is the namesake of the Toldense culture group.
The site is located south of the Deseado River, in the Canadon de las Cuevas. [1]
Cave 3 of Los Toldos is located next to a ravine. [lower-alpha 1] Human settlement of the cave is dated around 12,000 years ago. [1] The entrance to the cave is approximately 12 meters wide. [2] Excavations carried out by archaeologist Augusto Cárdich and a team of specialists and students from the National University of La Plata (UNLP) have excavated twelve archaeological strata in the cave, with a total depth of two meters: [3]
Stratigraphy | Description [3] |
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1 | Corresponds with Tehuelche occupation, although there are few artifacts in this layer. |
2 | There are few artifacts in this layer. |
3 | Numerous lithic artifacts have been uncovered at this layer of the site, indicating its extensive use. These include arrowheads/projectile points, scrapers, short scrapers and the bones of guanacos, deer, foxes, rodents and birds. |
4–5 | These layers coincided with a volcanic eruption. A layer of ash exists in these levels, and there are no archaeological remains. This has led them to be called "sterile". |
6–7 | These layers correspond with a culture known as the "Casa Pedra" or "Casapedrenca", characterized by a higher amount of lithic tools, probably meant for hunting guanacos. This culture flourished 7,500 years ago in Patagonia. Many large scrapers, scrapers, and knives were found during the excavations of these layers. |
8 | This layer is poor in lithic artifacts, indicating that the cave was probably uninhabited during the time period associated with it. |
9–10 | These layers provide important information on the Toldense material culture group. Two bifacial points, other triangular and thin spearheads, and a large number of large scrapers and scrapers were found. The artifacts have been radiocarbon dated to between 9,000 and 11,000 years ago. Bones of guanacos, rhea, and horses were identified and found in these layers as well. |
11–12 | Contain numerous lithic artifacts, dating from 11,000 to 13,000 years ago. Among these are unifacial points, large shards of stone that were modified to varying degrees, some scrapers, and large scrapers. These artifacts indicate that the site was occupied by hunters adapted to the steppe of Patagonia. They hunted horses like Parahippus and camelids such as guanacos. This technological phase favored the later development of Toldense Culture. |
Cueva de las Manos is a cave and complex of rock art sites in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, 163 km (101 mi) south of the town of Perito Moreno. It is named for the hundreds of paintings of hands stenciled, in multiple collages, on the rock walls. The art was created in several waves between 7,300 BC and 700 AD, during the Archaic period of pre-Columbian South America. The age of the paintings was calculated from the remains of bone pipes used for spraying the paint on the wall of the cave to create the artwork, radiocarbon dating of the artwork, and stratigraphic dating.
The Pinturas River Canyon is a canyon located 160 km from the town of Perito Moreno in Santa Cruz, Argentina. It is home to the Pinturas River, which carved the canyon through eroding the Chon Aike Formation. Native populations inhabited the region, painting many works of rock art, some of which can still be seen today. The most famous of these rock art sites is the Cueva de las Manos, a cave site with ancient art whose creation dates back up to 13,000 years ago. This rock art, and Cueva de las Manos in particular, brings lots of tourism to the canyon.
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Carlos Joaquín Gradin, also known as Carlos Gradín, was an Argentine surveyor and archaeologist. He carried out numerous studies in the Patagonian region, and is known for his extensive studies of Cueva de las Manos. He was a member of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET).
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