Abstract

Data from archaeological excavations and bioarchaeological analysis in the Chonos archipelago (43 degrees 50' - 46 degrees 50'S), within the northern channels of Patagonia, have led scholars to conclude that this island system was occupied by marine hunter-gatherers since the middle Holocene until contact with Europeans. The data from the technological and archaeofaunal collections indicate dependence on littoral and marine resources. The information from carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes of human remains associated with these contexts provides a powerful and an independent analytical tool, enabling us to evaluate the subsistence models based on other archaeological datasets. In this paper, we present the results of delta C-13 and delta N-15 analyses of 38 individuals with direct C-14 AMS ages between 2300 and 200 cal BP, as well as that of archaeofaunal samples from the region. The analysis of isotopic values supports the interpretation of a subsistence pattern focused mainly on littoral and marine resources. We then compare the delta C-13 and delta N-15 values to those of other canoeist hunter-gatherers of the central and southern channels of Patagonia, highlighting the differences in subsistence trajectories between the regions involved.