ANTHRACOLOGY AND ETHNOARCHAEOLOGY IN CAPE HORN ARCHIPELAGO (CHILE)

An anatomical analysis of woody plants currently occurring in a territ ory that was formerly inhabited by the Yamana indians, has been undert aken as a preliminary study of fossil woods and charcoal found in this area. The living woods - that will serve to set up a refering collect ion - as well as the archeological material were collected by the Fren ch Mission to Patagonia lead by Dr. D. Legoupil during the 1991 field season (january-march). The present day vegetation of the archipelago belongs to the ''magellanic moorland''. Three species of trees Inhabit coastal forest and valleys' ground : Nothofagus betuloides, Nothofagu s antarctica and Drimys winteri. They occur with several species of bu shes, i.e. Maytenus magellanica, Pernettya mucronata, Hebe elliptica, Escallonia serrata and Lebetanthus myrsinites. An ethnobotanical study of woody plants used by the indians from the Fuego-Patagonica has bee n carried out and woods from the hut structures still in place on the sites have been identified.