Investigating Mobile Forager Cultural Adaptations in Central Western Patagonia, Chile

Central West Patagonia is an area characterized by climatic and landscape contrasts, with a variety of ecotones within a defined area. This region is naturally divided into different river valleys, separated by steep mountains and icecaps. One such valley, the Ibáñez River Valley (IRV),, has been investigated archaeologically since the early 1970s. The IRV contains dozens of sites dating from the Early to Late Holocene featuring residential occupations as well as rock art. However, even with this history of research and robust signature of human behavior, little systematic archaeological survey has been conducted in the IRV due to numerous factors (difficulty of terrain, etc.). In this presentation, I show the results of preliminary research to synthesize findings from already-collected archaeological materials from the Rio Ibanez with new pedestrian survey from the southern extent of the valley. Further, in this presentation I engage with a variety of theoretical themes applicable to this unique cultural and environmental landscape and indicate profitable areas for future research.