Resumen

CAPRILES, José M. et al. Adaptation to High Altitude Ecosystems, and the Late Pleistocene Hunter-Gatherers of the Bolivian Andes. Textos Antropológicos [online]. 2019, vol.20, n.1, pp. 9-32. ISSN 1025-3181.

The high Andes of South America were among the last environments that Homo sapiens colonized during its Pleistocene dispersion out of Africa. The peopling of this high-elevation environment was constrained by hy-poxia, cold stress, and resource availability. Here we report archaeological and geoarchaeological analyses from Cueva Bautista, a dry rock shelter, located at 3933 masl in southwestern Bolivia. We focus on a well-preser-ved occupation surface containing hearths and high-quality stone toolsAMS dated to 12.700-12.100 cal BP. Geoarchaeological resolution ofthe site supports its stratigraphic integrity and archaeological analyses indicate that the early human occupation was formed as a temporary camp by mobile foragers relying on a curated technological strategy. Regional paleoenvironmental reconstructions suggest that Cueva Bautista’s occupation was synchronous with humid conditions and its abandonment with increased aridity. Ourfindings suggest that mobile hunter-gatherers explored -albeit not colonized- the high Andes during the Late Pleistocene andfurther supports that a combination ofbiological, behavioral, and environmental constraints affected human adaptation andpermanent colonization ofthis extreme environment.

Palabras llave : Andes; highlands; hunter-gatherers; mobility; Paleoindian.