Maritime fishing during the Middle Holocene in the hyperarid coast of the Atacama Desert

The emergence of specialized fishers is often considered one of the most distinguishing traits of the Middle Holocene (ca. 8000-6000 cal BP) in the hyperarid Southern Atacama coast. Most of the evidence comes from funerary contexts and artifact typologies, but there are very few systematic zooarchaeo-logical studies from which to understand this process. Considering the importance of marine and coastal resources for communities who inhabited this area in terms of subsistence and social organization, in this paper we analyze ichthyoarchaeological evidence from the Zapatero site (Antofagasta region of Chile), one of the most important Middle Holocene sites of the Taltal area. Our evidence shows a specialized maritime adaptation based on the exploitation of different fish resources from the area, but at the same time an important intensification in the harvesting of one specific taxon, the jack mackerel Trachurus murphyi. Through this systematic ichthyoarchaeological analysis, we reflect on the historical process of adaptation of local communities to the driest coastal desert in the world. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.