La industria lítica bifacial del sitio en cantera Chipana-1

The site of Chipana-1 is located in the middle of the Atacama Desert, in the Pampa del Tamarugal (PdT), 1200 m asl. The site is a good example of past societies adaptation to hyper-arid environments, and provides new insights into the early human occupations of South America. The well-preserved stratigraphic record, together with 13 radiocarbon dates, show that the site was occupied around 11,480 cal BP. Chipana-1 is a lithic raw-material extraction and workshop site, of a silicified rock of good quality, mainly related to the production of bifacial tools (façonnage), and to a lesser extent, of flakes (débitage) on surface. This is the first site in northern Chile that provides information on the first stages of lithic production, such as raw-material selection and reduction (dégrossissage). In addition, flakes resulting from façonnage (shaping method) suggest the local elaboration of large bifacial pieces that have not been recovered on site, indicating that part of the production was probably exported elsewhere, within and outside the borders of the PdT. Some smaller flakes also suggest a local production of “Tuina” type projectile points, a morphotype well-known in the regions south of the Atacama Desert. One can highlight the presence of flakes of allochthonous raw-materials, imported from other areas, which have been flaked at Chipana-1 in order to produce bifacial tools. Chipana-1 was an important location for Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherer groups, poorly known until now, for the gathering of raw-materials and lithic production in the Atacama Desert. The site was integrated within a broader network of mobility that we are just starting to discover. | El sitio Chipana-1, situado en pleno corazón del Desierto de Atacama en la Pampa del Tamarugal (PdT) a 1200 msnm, refleja la adaptación de antiguas sociedades humanas a un ambiente hiper-árido, y aporta nuevos datos al debate sobre las primeras ocupaciones humanas en América del Sur. La buena conservación estratigráfica y 13 dataciones 14C muestran que el sitio fué frecuentado alrededor de los 11.480 cal BP. Chipana-1 es un sitio de producción lítica esencialmente de façonnage (modelado) bifacial, con un mínimo de débitage (desbaste) de lascas, observables en la superficie de esta gran cantera-taller de roca sílicificada de buena calidad. Este tipo de sitio es inédito dentro del norte de Chile, debido a que...