Encountering Contemporary Pastoralism via Zooarchaeology: New Data from the Argentine Andes

Puesteros are pastoralists who live in many parts of the Andes. Many puesteros practice seasonal transhumance, and others are sedentary.  All puesteros are smallholder herders who raise goats, sheep, cattle, and horses. Like many pastoralists, puesteros are confronting rapid cultural and environmental change. We examine zooarchaeological data from puestos to study geographic variability in subsistence, with a particular emphasis on animal resource use. Our study focuses on puesteros who live in western, southern Mendoza Province, Argentina who live within the Rio Atuel and Rio Diamante valleys. In terms of political ecology, our study highlights the diversity and novelty of constraints faced by puesteros during a period of rapid social and environmental change.