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Current and prehistoric human mobility in North Neuquén: an approach using complex networks and stable isotopic mixing models

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Abstract

The study of the seasonal mobility and use of space by human populations that inhabited the North of Neuquén (Patagonia, Argentina) over time is a subject of great interest. In this study, we develop a frame of reference for investigating the past seasonal mobility in the region by examining the connectivity between areas of summer and winter camps used by contemporary transhumant herders. Our weighted bipartite network analyses show that the seasonal mobility of current herders exhibits a modular organization with winter and summer camps located at short distances—7 and 100 km. Then, the applicability of this framework was assessed by analyzing δ18O values obtained from prehistoric human remains from the Curi Leuvú basin and current river water from North Neuquén and South Mendoza to construct an isoscape and infer the geographic origin of human samples. We found that around 40% of the individuals buried in the Curi Leuvú basin had δ18O values consistent with a preferential use of the summer camps of the Tromen massif and Domuyo volcano, while the rest of the individuals remained in the winter area throughout the year. These results agree with the expectations derived from the analysis of the mobility of current herders and are compatible with movements of individuals or small groups from the winter areas to the nearest summer areas.

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Data availability

Data are available in Table 1: bone carbonate δ18O values of the human samples from the Curi Leuvú basin. δ18Oc are the values in VPDB standard, and δ18Odw are the drinking water values in VSMOW standard. P-value is the result of Isorix method to infer the geographic origin of archeological cases based on their isotopic value. Significative values (P < 0.05) are in bold; and Supplementary Table 1: water δ18Odw values of stream and rivers from North Neuquén and South Mendoza. Geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude in WGS84 system), elevation (m.a.s.l.), and date (year and month) also are provided.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Sergio Urra for making available the winter camp image in Figure 2. This study is part of the Sergio D’Abramo Doctoral Thesis “Strategies of seasonal mobility and subsistence in the human populations of northern Neuquén 2018” that takes place at the Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.

Funding

This work was supported by grants from Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP-PI N932) and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET-PIP 2974).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dirección Provincial de Patrimonio Cultural, Ministerio de Las Culturas, Neuquén, Argentina

    Sergio L. D’Abramo

  2. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    S. Ivan Perez, Paula N. Gonzalez, Diego Gobbo, Bruno F. Moscardi & Valeria Bernal

  3. Museo Histórico y Arqueológico “Ricardo Pascual Rosa” Olascoaga y San Martín, Senillosa, Neuquén, Argentina

    S. Ivan Perez & Valeria Bernal

  4. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina

    S. Ivan Perez, Paula N. Gonzalez, Diego Gobbo, Bruno F. Moscardi & Valeria Bernal

Authors
  1. Sergio L. D’Abramo
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  2. S. Ivan Perez
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  3. Paula N. Gonzalez
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  4. Diego Gobbo
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  6. Valeria Bernal
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Contributions

SLD: conducted the acquisition and interpretation of data, and contributed to the first draft of the work. SIP: acquired the funds, contributed to the design of the work, conducted the analysis and interpretation of data, wrote the first version of the manuscript, critically revised the content and the final version of the manuscript. PNG: contributed to the interpretation of results; critically revised the final version of the manuscript. DG: contributed to the analysis and interpretation of data. BFM: conducted the acquisition and interpretation of data. VB: acquired the funds, contributed to the conception and design of the work, and interpretation of data, wrote the first version of the manuscript. All authors approved the version submitted.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Valeria Bernal.

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D’Abramo, S.L., Perez, S.I., Gonzalez, P.N. et al. Current and prehistoric human mobility in North Neuquén: an approach using complex networks and stable isotopic mixing models. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 15, 198 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-023-01907-0

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