The role of burrowing animals at Laguna del Indio site (Buenos Aires Interserrana area, Argentina)

Laguna del Indio site is located in the vicinity of the homonymous lagoon (Coronel Su & aacute;rez district, Buenos Aires province). Analyses suggest that the site could have been a residential camp associated with the lagoon, where different domestic activities such as the manufacture of lithic artifacts and the processing and cooking of animal and plant species were carried out during the middle and late Holocene. During the excavation of the site, bioturbated sediments that could be a consequence of the action of diverse biological agents ( e.g. , roots, animals of subterranean/burrowing habits) were observed. A distinctive feature of the excavated context was the finding of numerous digging structures produced by mammals of fossorial or semi-fossorial habits ( e.g ., rodents and armadillos). Since the activity of burrowing animals produces a significant disturbance in the sedimentary structure, it is possible that their presence altered the distribution of archaeological materials. This paper evaluates the influence of these agents on the integrity and resolution of the archaeological record. The studies carried out allowed us to understand the taphonomic history of the assemblage recovered at the site. Results showed that the archaeological context was highly disturbed by the action of burrowing animals such as rodents and armadillos. Consequently, the site has low resolution and poor integrity, which prevents to discriminate and characterize the Middle and Late Holocene occupations