Woody fuel use in the locality of Antofagasta de la Sierra (Catamarca, Argentina)

Abstract

Background and aims: Ethnobotany provides conceptual and methodological tools used by Archeobotany and Anthracology to infer the possible uses that certain plant species had in a human group from the past and of which only their archeological remains have persisted until now. The objective of this work is to characterize the relationship between the current inhabitants of Antofagasta de la Sierra (Catamarca, Argentina) and woody fuel species by studying the pre and post-collection practices associated with these plants. It is also intended to generate a corpus of ethnobotanical data that can be used for interpreting the data obtained during the analysis of remains of archaeological coal from Puna species.

M&M: Ethnographic fieldwork was performed in different contexts, open and semi-structured interviews in the locality were carried out.

Results: The results obtained indicate 16 taxa (locals and exotics for the area) used as fuels in different spheres of daily life (food cooking, heating, technology and rituality).

Conclusions: The results are similar to another registered in different Andean localities and reflects the individual and groups decisions during the use of woody fuel. The increasing use of exotic charcoal is promoting a change in habits compared to local firewood. The articulation of anthracological and ethnobotanical data allowed us to glimpse the continuity in the use of certain taxa over time.