Este trabajo analiza críticamente la legislación patrimonial de Santa Cruz desde 1970 hasta la actualidad, atendiendo a las categorías, definiciones y actores implicados en la construcción del patrimonio cultural en general y del arqueológico en particular. A través de un recorrido diacrónico, se observa que las normas incorporan de manera parcial los lineamientos internacionales y nacionales, manteniendo una matriz centrada en criterios técnico-científicos. Se destacan tensiones respecto a la inclusión del patrimonio inmaterial, el tratamiento de restos humanos indígenas y la limitación de la participación comunitaria. Asimismo, se analizan las comisiones de patrimonio, el rol municipal y las restricciones del modelo estatal centralizado. El estudio concluye que, aunque se amplían categorías y se reconoce discursivamente la diversidad cultural, persisten vacíos normativos que restringen derechos colectivos. Se plantea la necesidad de marcos legales inclusivos que efectivicen la consulta previa y promuevan la cogestión, hacia políticas patrimoniales interculturales y sostenibles.
Se discute el uso que las poblaciones de cazadores-recolectores de Patagonia austral hicieron de los espacios costeros en el pasado. Para ello, se analizan los restos de bivalvos (Mytilus edulis) recuperados en seis sitios arqueológicos localizados en la desembocadura del río Santa Cruz y en el Parque Nacional Monte León, fechados en el Holoceno tardío. Los resultados obtenidos a partir de la aplicación de técnicas esclerocronológicas muestran que los restos de estos bivalvos fueron depositados principalmente en verano y primavera, pero también en otoño. No se obtuvieron registros de ocupaciones en invierno, como surge de estudios previos. Se concluye que estas áreas fueron ocupadas en circuitos recurrentes a lo largo del tiempo, involucrando rendimientos variables, derivados de la oferta estacional de recursos. Los espacios costeros atlánticos no habrían sido utilizados de una única manera, sino de acuerdo con circunstancias ambiental y socialmente variables.
En este trabajo se presentan los primeros resultados de las investigaciones arqueológicas realizadas en Santa Ana de la Puna (provincia de Jujuy), particularmente en el sitio Pueblo Viejo de Tapiales. Los fechados obtenidos hasta el momento evidencian ocupaciones desde 3650 años cal. AP, que se volvieron recurrentes entre ca. 2400 y 1900 años cal. AP. Se detectaron también otras fases de ocupación durante los siglos IX y XIII de nuestra era. La tecnología lítica da cuenta de distintas cadenas operativas con trayectorias separadas según el tipo de actividad: caza, agricultura, entre otras. Se registra el cultivo a partir de ca. 2100 años cal. AP mediante la presencia de instrumentos líticos y estructuras. Los análisis zooarqueológicos revelan eventos estacionales vinculados a la caza, especialmente de camélidos, y al pastoreo de llamas. Los resultados obtenidos concuerdan con una ocupación permanente o semisedentaria del sitio a partir del Período Temprano.
In this study, we reassess the value of archaeological and documentary collections hosted in national institutions, together with the oral histories of local inhabitants, to characterize and contextualize —chronologically and culturally— the Lomitas de Saujil site (Tinogasta Department, Catamarca). This site, excavated by Alberto R. González in 1964, is currently destroyed because of residential and agricultural expansion in the village that bears the same name. As a working hypothesis, we propose that Lomitas de Saujil, located in the middle sector of the Fiambalá basin, formed part of a network of hamlets or villages dating to the first millennium of the era, which shared lifeways with others situated to the north (Palo Blanco village) and south (LT-V50 village), also associated with funerary contexts. Furthermore, archaeobotanical evidence indicates connections with the Chaco Forest.
A techno-morphological analysis of the lithic assemblages recovered from the excavation of the Cueva Yagui site, located in intermediate spaces (1.200-1.800 masl) of the Barrancas-Buta Ranquil locality (northern Neuquén province, Northern Patagonia, Argentina) is presented. Two temporal blocks were defined with signs of human use from the middle Holocene (ca. 8900 calendar years BP) to the late (746 calendar years BP). The objective of the work is to evaluate the technological strategies implemented by hunter-gatherer groups to inhabit the site. The first results show that the rate of lithic material discard increased significantly during the late occupation. This increase is observed in the greater amount of formatized artifacts and projectile points. The bone, ceramic, botanical and rock art evidence studied at the site indicate a comparatively higher occupational intensity than other sites in the region.
In the archaeological contexts of the Deseado Massif (Santa Cruz, Argentina), obsidian artifacts are frequent, although the origin of this rock is not associated with local geological formations. Previous geochemical studies have identified Pampa del Asador (PDA) as the main source of obsidian in southern Patagonia. This article presents the geochemical characterization of 47 artifacts from archaeological contexts in rock shelters and open-air sites of the Deseado Massif, corresponding to different moments of the Holocene. Neutron activation analysis (NAA) was applied, and this is the first study of its kind conducted on Patagonian archaeological obsidian, with all processing and analysis carried out entirely in Argentina. The results indicate that all samples correspond to different varieties of PDA. This work contributes to the understanding of obsidian use in the region and provides relevant information for discussions on provisioning and mobility among hunter-gatherer groups.
We analyze the technological practices of hunter-gatherer societies that inhabited the open-air site of Puesto El Frío (La María Archaeological Locality, Santa Cruz) during the Late Holocene. Our study focuses on both surface and stratigraphic stone assemblages, considering factors related to the formation of the archaeological record. These groups applied different strategies for tool production, managing rocks from various sources. They acquired the raw material through different mechanisms: siliceous stones were obtained locally while obsidian came from more distant locations. Knapping activities reflect a structured use of the landscape observed in the locality: decortication was performed at nearby quarries, whereas core reduction and final tool shaping took place at the site. A variety of techniques were employed, mostly involving low labor investment, although some artifacts —such as bifaces and projectile points— required greater work and/or conservation. In this way, a toolkit was produced for multiple tasks associated with campsite activities.
The ship is the rector of the life of the naval NCOs of the Argentine Navy. It is the place and the moment in which the naval officers learn to live in a spatial isolation, and it is when the total immersion in their singular temporality takes place. A present time that includes a lack of knowledge about what is to come, but for which they prepare themselves daily. The shared life at sea is the pillar for the naval soldiers to experience the continuous lack of certainty about the future and the uncertainty without anguish, regret or fear. In this ethnographic text I problematize the approach that understands uncertainty as a rupture in the continuity of social life and propose an alternative one where calm, constant risk and uncertainty coexist in the same type of social experience.
The ship is the rector of the life of the naval NCOs of the Argentine Navy. It is the place and the moment in which the naval officers learn to live in a spatial isolation, and it is when the total immersion in their singular temporality takes place. A present time that includes a lack of knowledge about what is to come, but for which they prepare themselves daily. The shared life at sea is the pillar for the naval soldiers to experience the continuous lack of certainty about the future and the uncertainty without anguish, regret or fear. In this ethnographic text I problematize the approach that understands uncertainty as a rupture in the continuity of social life and propose an alternative one where calm, constant risk and uncertainty coexist in the same type of social experience.
This paper presents the main technological features of the Laguna Chica-Sector A lithic assemblage. It is proposed that during the middle and late Holocene, the groups that occupied this place mainly exploited rocks from the Tandilia Hills and, to a lesser extent, raw materials from other sources located in the Humid and Dry Pampas sub-regions, and the southern San Luis. The artifactual assemblage is mostly composed of advanced knapping stages, including the in situ production of a wide variety of tools and the maintenance of both edges and cores. Micro-wear analyses carried out on diverse orthoquartzite, chert, and silicified dolomite tools allowed us to identify some of the performed tasks and processed resources (e.g. leather perforation and wood scraping). Based on the results obtained, strategies of raw material optimization and provisioning of places are proposed.
El Molino is an archaeological site in the Hualfin Valley (Catamarca, Argentina) that combines local characteristics with elements associated with the Inka presence in the region during the 15th century. Excavations in Room 34 identified a domestic space reused as a burial site. Analysis of the archaeofaunal materials reveals a significant taxonomic variety of wildlife, with camelids being particularly notable. These results suggest that specimens of camelids and Hippocamelus antisensis were processed and consumed, and that bone artifacts were used, possibly in ritual activities associated with the burial, along with offerings of food and drink, vessels, and objects of high symbolic value (gold and aragonite). Finally, the relationship between fauna and the management of power by local leaders in El Molino is discussed, within the context of the social changes brought about by the region's incorporation into the Inka Empire.
En este trabajo se presentan las principales características tecnológicas del conjunto lítico de Laguna Chica-Sector A. Se propone que a lo largo del Holoceno medio y tardío los grupos que ocuparon este lugar explotaron mayoritariamente rocas de las sierras de Tandilia y, en menor medida, materias primas de otras fuentes localizadas en las subregiones Pampa Húmeda y Seca, así como del sur de San Luis. El conjunto artefactual se compone mayoritariamente de etapas avanzadas de la talla, entre las que se distinguen la producción in situ de una amplia variabilidad de instrumentos y el mantenimiento de filos y núcleos. Los análisis funcionales llevados a cabo sobre instrumentos de ortocuarcita, ftanita y dolomía silicificada permitieron conocer algunas de las tareas realizadas y recursos trabajados (e.g., perforado de piel y raspado de madera). A partir de los resultados alcanzados se plantean estrategias de optimización de las rocas y el equipamiento de lugares.
El Molino es un poblado arqueológico del Valle de Hualfín (Catamarca, Argentina) que combina características locales con elementos que lo asocian con la presencia inka en la región durante el siglo XV. Las excavaciones realizadas en el Recinto 34 permitieron identificar un espacio doméstico reutilizado como lugar de entierro. El análisis de los materiales arqueofaunísticos muestra una importante variedad taxonómica de fauna silvestre. Los resultados permiten inferir que ejemplares de camélidos y de Hippocamelus antisensis fueron procesados y consumidos y que se utilizaron artefactos óseos, posiblemente en actividades rituales asociadas al entierro, junto a ofrendas de comida y bebida, vasijas y objetos de alto valor simbólico (oro y aragonita). Finalmente, se discute la relación de la fauna con el manejo del poder por parte de los líderes locales de El Molino, en el marco de los cambios sociales producidos por la incorporación de la región al imperio inka.
In the archaeological contexts of the Deseado Massif (Santa Cruz, Argentina), obsidian artifacts are frequent, although the origin of this rock is not associated with local geological formations. Previous geochemical studies have identified Pampa del Asador (PDA) as the main source of obsidian in southern Patagonia. This article presents the geochemical characterization of 47 artifacts from archaeological contexts in rock shelters and open-air sites of the Deseado Massif, corresponding to different moments of the Holocene. Neutron activation analysis (NAA) was applied, and this is the first study of its kind conducted on Patagonian archaeological obsidian, with all processing and analysis carried out entirely in Argentina. The results indicate that all samples correspond to different varieties of PDA. This work contributes to the understanding of obsidian use in the region and provides relevant information for discussions on provisioning and mobility among hunter-gatherer groups.
We analyze the technological practices of hunter-gatherer societies that inhabited the Holocene. Our study focuses on both surface and stratigraphic stone assemblages, considering factors related to the formation of the archaeological record. These groups applied different strategies for tool production, managing rocks from various sources. They acquired the raw material through different mechanisms: siliceous stones were obtained locally while obsidian came from more distant locations. Knapping activities reflect a structured use of the landscape observed in the locality: decortication was performed at nearby quarries, whereas core reduction and final tool shaping took place at the site. A variety of techniques were employed, mostly involving low labor investment, although some artifacts -such as bifaces and projectile points- required greater work and/or conservation. In this way, a toolkit was produced for multiple tasks associated with campsite activities.
In this study, we reassess the value of archaeological and documentary collections hosted in national institutions, together with the oral histories of local inhabitants, to characterize and contextualize -chronologically and culturally- the Lomitas de Saujil site (Tinogasta Department, Catamarca). This site, excavated by Alberto R. Gonzalez in 1964, is currently destroyed because of residential and agricultural expansion in the village that bears the same name. As a working hypothesis, we propose that Lomitas de Saujil, located in the middle sector of the Fiambala basin, formed part of a network of hamlets or villages dating to the first millennium of the era, which shared lifeways with others situated to the north (Palo Blanco village) and south (LT-V50 village), also associated with funerary contexts. Furthermore, archaeobotanical evidence indicates connections with the Chaco Forest.
A techno-morphological analysis of the lithic assemblages recovered from the excavation of the Cueva Yagui site, located in intermediate spaces (1.200-1.800 masl) of the Barrancas-Buta Ranquil locality (northern Neuquen province, Northern Patagonia, Argentina) is presented. Two temporal blocks were defined with signs of human use from the middle Holocene (ca. 8900 calendar years BP) to the late (746 calendar years BP). The objective of the work is to evaluate the technological strategies implemented by hunter-gatherer groups to inhabit the site. The first results show that the rate of lithic material discard increased significantly during the late occupation. This increase is observed in the greater amount of formatized artifacts and projectile points. The bone, ceramic, botanical and rock art evidence studied at the site indicate a comparatively higher occupational intensity than other sites in the region.
This paper describes the history of rock art research in the northwest of the province of Mendoza (Argentina), a materiality that has been marginalised from archaeological studies in the region in recent decades. The archaeological work recently carried out on petroglyph sites located in the Uspallata valley and around the town of Punta de Vacas (mountainous area in the north-west of the province) is described, specifying the methodological strategies employed and some of the theoretical guidelines that guided the survey work. Finally, the sites analysed are describedfrom a multi-scale spatial perspective and in articulation with the contextual information of the rock engravings.
In this work, we focus on roads as a subject of study. We aim to characterize the roads used by mining projects in western Catamarca during the second half of the 19th century, as well as to analyse the experiences of traveling through them. We propose that, during the decades of mining boom, the formally designed and financed road infrastructure was precarious or scarce in western Catamarca, and that the tracing of informal paths and roads, as well as the ancient ways of traversing them and the local experiences associated with them, ultimately supported mining enterprises by facilitating the movement of people, supplies, and minerals. The research is based on a wide variety of published and unpublished historical sources and seeks to provide new data on 19th-century mining in Catamarca and the dynamics of relationships developed among different actors in this context.
This paper presents the results of the initial investigations carried out in La Bajada and El Tranquilo ranches, located in a portion of the steppe in central-western Santa Cruz (Argentina) on the western edge of the Deseado Massif. Considering geographical, ecological and environmental aspects, the region under study is located in a transitional zone, right between two areas: The Central Plateau located to the east and the low basins, high basins and plateaus located to the west. According to previous studies, both spaces have particular human dynamics that were affected by diverse processes of climatic and environmental change since the end of the Pleistocene. In this context we present the first data on the characteristics, distribution and chronology of the archaeological record from this new study region with the aim of starting the discussions about its settlement processes. Results show that the regional archaeological record has similarities with neighboring spaces.
