Quartz Crystal Fishtail Projectile Point and Paiján Technology from the Pampa Lechuza Site, South-Central Coastal Desert of Peru

Antonio Pérez-Balarezo, Jalh Dulanto, Marcellus de Almeida, Jesús Briceño, Angelo Constantine, Enrique Guadalupe, Edwin Silva, Abel Icochea, Daniel Vergara, Jessica Riquez

PaleoAmerica4/3/2025·DOI·Read paper

Abstract

Fishtail projectile points, found from Central America to southern South America during the Late Pleistocene, are typically flint-based but occasionally crafted from quartz. This work examines quartz crystal specimens from Peru’s Pampa Lechuza site (Ica Valley), dated to the Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene, including Fishtail and Paiján Points. The co-occurrence of these technologies in south-central Peru suggests a more intricate scenario of Andean peopling during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition.

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