The prehistoric exploration and colonization of Fuego-Patagonia

The main goal of this paper is to review the earliest archaeological eviden ce for the presence of humans in Fuego-Patagonia. The paleoenvironmental an d paleoclimatic framework is briefly introduced, followed by a discussion o f its relevance to understanding the exploration and colonization of Fuego- Patagonia. Technological and faunal evidence from a number of sites from th e southern extreme older than 10,000 B.P. is analyzed. This leads to the co nclusion that an early entry, at least 12,000 years old, appears best to ac commodate the available chronological evidence. On the other hand, data fro m the Northern fringes of Patagonia clearly suggest an earlier human coloni zation.