A Taphonomic Approach to Fish Remains at Llancanelo Lagoon (Mendoza)

The study of fish remains accumulations in archaeological contexts near to lacustrine environments requires an analysis that considers possible non-human contributions. This is the case of fish bone assemblages recovered from Llan 50 site, on the western margin of Llancanelo lagoon (Mendoza, Argentina). This paper aims to explore the processes involved in the formation of this ichthyoarchaeological assemblage, determining wether these remains were deposited naturally or as a result of human action. Consequently, the composition of bone assemblages of Llan 50 are compared with those observed for fish natural accumulations at the same study area. Natural deposits’ potential characteristics from Llancanelo are recognized and some useful criteria to differentiate the assemblage origin in this context are distinguished, which would suggest mainly an anthropic origin for the archaeological assemblage Llan 50.