Natural accumulation of faunal remains or garbage dump?. Zooarchaeological analisys of fortín La Perra (1883-1885), La Pampa

Abstract

Fort La Perra (Loventué, Department, La Pampa) was one of the military settlements established in the central pampas, since 1883, in order to watch the native territory recently conquered. The archaelogical research conducted in this site enabled us to defi ne some indicators of military behaviour in the fi eld. Two types of accumulations were recorded: there are predominantly glass materials in one of them, and abundant faunal remains in the other. This paper analyzes the formation processes of this latter concentration of bone remains. In order to attain this goal, in the fi rst place, we used the spatial distribution plans of the faunal remains corresponding to different excavation levels. In the second place, we evaluated the impact of different taphonomic variables on the formation of that record, such as: slope of the terrain, vegetation, the scattering of the various specimens in the excavated area, its density, degree of articulation, burning, weathering, carnivore and butchering marks. According to the topographical features and the taphonomic processes identifi ed, we can state that this area of the settlement might have operated as a dump, specially used for the food waste.