Prospecciones y estudios estratigráficos iniciales en Paso Gregores, Noreste de Santa Cruz, Argentina

In this paper we present the first results of prospective and stratigraphic studies in a new archaeological locality located in Paso Gregores, in the lower basin of the Deseado River in the province of Santa Cruz. It is a space associated with the marine coast and the interior plateaus of the Deseado Massif. Various archaeological contexts were recorded, among which the rock shelters with the presence of rock art stand out. The sector presents an interesting interpretative potential regarding discussions related to the initial settlement and the breadth of the ranges of action of the human groups that occupied the area during the middle and late Holocene. The new evidence of occupation recorded about 50 km from the Atlantic coast, near the limit of the marine influence of the Deseado estuary, is framed in a scenario suitable for discussing the implications of the coast-inland connections and vice versa. The survey of rock paints, with similar characteristics with respect to sites located to the west, added to their absence on the marine coast, suggests that the occupations would have been structured around ranges of mobility associated with the interior territory, in relation to the exploitation of guanacos and local raw materials.