This archaeological research project is designed to study the use of space by hunter-gatherers who inhabited the Inter-Hill area of the Pampas region from the end of the Pleistocene to historical moments (ca. 12,200 to 500 years 14C BP). Information management through the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geostatistical programs will allow spatial analysis to be carried out at different scales to identify patterns in the use of space as a result of human decisions in the past; including the possible circuits of mobility and exchange, the intensity and occupational recurrence of different spaces, among others. Archaeological data will be integrated with different environmental variables in order to identify the existence of patterns in the use of space. The predictive models will indicate sectors of the landscape that have favorable characteristics for human settlement. 

The central objective of this project is to make a methodological leap that allows to define the chronological framework during which the most significant historical events of the indigenous populations of central-eastern Argentina took place and to relate these events to the evolution of the ecosystems of the region since the Late Pleistocene to the European Conquest. To reconstruct and understand this process is necessary to have a high chronological resolution. To achieve this it is essential to increase the quantity and quality of samples to be dated by 14C and to fine-tune substantially the pre-treatment and combustion of these samples to obtain data material of high quality. This last point constitutes an area of ​​vacancy in both Argentina and Latin America since the pre-treatment processes for 14C are currently performed only in one laboratory in Argentina (LATYR). Therefore, this project intends to advance in two new and overlapping lines that have been developed in the INCUAPA: a) to increase the number of samples for analysis of 14C and stable isotopes through intensive excavations in key sites of the center-east of Argentina and b) to carry out a methodological and technical development that allows to process the samples in the INCUAPA, that is to say in-situ, and send to date (by AMS) the carbon dioxide resulting from the pre-treatment and combustion. This methodological and technical development will also be used to obtain samples of C, N and O isotopes whose values ​​are extremely useful for reconstructing paleoenvironments and to estimate the size of human and animal populations.

 The purpose of this project is the archaeological study of the evolution, population dynamics and historical trajectory of the hunter-gatherer societies that inhabited the middle course of the Quequén Grande River (Interserrana area of ​​Buenos Aires) during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. This project will be approached from an interdisciplinary perspective, integrating evidence from regional archaeology, taphonomy, zooarchaeology, studies of lithic artifacts and rock provenance, geoarcheology, palynology, studies of silica biomorphs, among others. The general objectives are: a) to generate archaeological information to evaluate spatial / temporal variability in the different socio-economic spheres (subsistence, technology, mobility and settlement systems) of the Pampas hunter-gatherers during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene; b) contribute to the knowledge of the preservation, integrity and resolution of the archaeological record on a regional scale; and c) discuss, expand and contrast archaeological proposals and models of different authors on a local and regional scale. The archaeological record of the different temporal blocks (Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene transition: ca. 12,000-10,000 years AP, Early Holocene: ca. 10,000-6500 years AP, Middle Holocene: ca. 6500-3500 years AP; 3500-1000 years AP and Late Holocene final: ca. 1000 years AP) presents differences, related mainly to the distribution and availability of resources, the characteristics of occupied geoforms and the functionality of sites. In this context, changes are expected in social organizations among the selected temporal blocks resulting from 1) specific, distinctive adaptation patterns typical of each temporal block that underwent a behavioral reorganization based on its preexisting characteristics; and 2) paleoenvironmental changes that led to the reorganization of animal and plant resources as well as the availability of access to certain sectors of the landscape. In order to achieve the proposed objectives, surveys and excavations will be carried out in sectors of the Quequén Grande River, where archaeological sites have already been detected, and surface assemblages will be surveyed in different geomorphological zones within the study area. Its chronological allocation will be defined, the patterns of exploitation of fauna resources, the organization of lithic and ceramic technology will be characterized taking into account the regional social and environmental context. Finally, we will integrate the results obtained from the different lines of research and propose general trends on subsistence, technology, mobility, space and settlement system, as well as the integrity of the Pampean archaeological record for the temporal blocks involved. Subsequently, these results will be compared with those proposed by other authors at different scales.

This project is intended for the purchase of laboratory equipment for the Institute INCUAPA-CONICET. The requested equipment partly complements the existing tools and substantially increases the capacity of the Institute with regard to observation, quantification and digital recording of archaeological and paleontological collections; providing the means to visualize, analyze and archive non-destructively, contributing to the preservation of the assets. The bank of digital images will be available for consultation by researchers from other institutions as well as managers of cultural heritage. The development of this project and the acquisition of equipment with the new technology will help generate a systematic body of new empirical data, which will produce a substantial increase in the information to the ongoing research in Pampas and surrounding areas and help, from a theoretical perspective, to advance in different fields of scientific knowledge.

This project will be approached from two broad perspectives: the regional archeology and actualistic taphonomy. The micro-regions of interest include: 1) the middle reaches of the Quequén Grande River, 2) the upper basin Claromecó-Quequén Salado, 3) the middle and lower basin of the Salado River, 4) the area between the Quequén Grande River and creek Claromecó, 5) lagoon environments northwest of the province of Buenos Aires and 6) lower sierra sectors located south of Sierra Ventania. In each of these environments, variables related to the chronology of human occupation, subsistence, mobility, organization of lithic and ceramic technology, settlement systems and human burial practices, among others will be studied. Actualistic taphonomy, naturalistic and experimental studies will be carried out, in order to generate taphonomic models to study the micro regions. This project adds to systematic studies previously developed with an approach towards naturalistic work. It is aimed at studying the behavior of predators in their natural. In practice, the archaeological study and actualistic taphonomy will be developed in an integrated manner, as the first part dictates the problems that need to be investigated, while the results arising from these will help to evaluate the preservation, resolution and integrity of the archaeological record and provide greater reliability to the archaeological interpretations.

This project focuses on micro-regional intensive archaeological studies in the southeast of the Pampas. More specifically, the project will focus on the generation of original data and the deepening of archaeological knowledge in the northwestern sector of Sierra Tandilia System (upper basin of the Tapalqué River), in certain specific sectors of the Inter-sierras area (Claromecó River and Sauce Grande River), on the Atlantic coast (between matches of Monte Hermoso and General Pueyrredón) Depression in Vallimanca (Bolivar, General Alvear, Olavarria and Tapalqué County) and the middle and lower basin of the Salado River (Lamadrid and Daireuax County). The overall objectives of this project are to study adaptive and evolutionary processes of hunter-gatherer societies that occupied the various environments of Southeast Pampas (plains, valleys, mountains, coast and lagoons); identify major pulses and cultural stability, and explore what were the causes of these changes. It is proposed to analyze relationships, differences and similarities between different cultural-ecological areas (eg, Inter-sierra, Atlantic coast, Tandilia and Western Pampas) and, from a broad archaeological perspective, incorporating local processes and supra-regional relationships with other areas of central-eastern Argentina. This research involves the application of specific analysis on the material culture of hunter-gatherer societies and the natural processes of site formation. To explore patterns of resource exploitation, the strategies related to the organization of technology, settlement systems, mobility and use of space, and symbolic representations of burial practices. Therefore, this project aims to develop different lines of research within the overall project, taking into account ecological and archaeological differences previously identified in the areas under study. These analyzes will significantly increase the wealth of archaeological information at different spatial and temporal patterns, and help to understand indigenous societies that inhabited the various natural and social environments of the Southeast Pampas, from the first settlement (ca. 12,000 years AP) to Spanish-Indian contact. In general, the development of this project will compare/reformulate existing regional and supra-regional archaeological models.

This project is aimed at the archaeological study of hunter-gatherer societies that inhabited the Pampas region, from the late Pleistocene to pre-contact Spanish-Indian times in the late Holocene (ca. 12,000 to 500 years BP). In spatial terms, this study is restricted to a micro region located in the central-southern area comprising Inter-sierra county portions of San Cayetano, Benito Juarez, A. Gonzales Chaves and Tres Arroyos. Archaeological investigations in the Pampas region, performed almost continuously since the late nineteenth century, have contributed to the characterization of the lifestyles of pre-Hispanic societies and their changes over time. However, in the micro-region of study area, the archaeological works were virtually nonexistent until 2004, when a period of intensive studies began in the framework of the project directors doctoral researcher. This project generated novel archaeological and taphonomic information of the study area and helped expand knowledge of human occupations in the Inter-sierra region in particular and the Pampas region in general during the late Holocene. Despite the significant increase of information for the study area since 2004, the lack of archaeological finds for the late Pleistocene and early Holocene prevented the research to address long-term changes in the lifestyles of hunter-gatherers. Given this situation, this project will continue with field work, which will be directed mainly at the detection and excavation of sites corresponding to the chronological periods for which information has not yet been gathered. Moreover, an aspect that needs to be further investigated is the spatial variability of the archaeological record concerning various environmental contexts, to advance understanding of mobility strategies and settlement system of these groups. Overall, the implementation of this project is to: (1) contribute, through the generation of new archaeological information, knowledge of livelihood strategies, technology, mobility and settlement patterns of hunter-gatherers who inhabited the Inter-sierra region during the late Pleistocene-Holocene transition, (2) study the long-term changes in the lifestyles of hunter-gatherers in relation to the environmental context and social context, (3) contrast, expand if necessary and reformulate the prehistoric occupation model previously proposed by the project director, and (4) integrate this model with existing models proposed by other researchers at both the areal and regional scale.

The overall objectives of this project are the archaeological study of the evolution, population dynamics and historical trajectory of hunter-gatherer societies from the Inter-sierra region of the province of Buenos Aires and the adjacent sectors of the Sierra Tandilia during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. The project will generate new archaeological information through the study of distinct micro-regions located in these areas, and integrate the data with that obtained by other researchers in the Pampas to understand socioeconomic processes occurring during the period specified in this vast region. The micro-regions involved in this project are the middle of the Quequén River, the upper reaches of the stream Claromecó - Quequén Salado River, the middle and lower basin of the stream Salado, the Upper Tapalqué, the area between the Quequén Grande and stream Claromecó, and the per-sierra portion located south of Sierra Ventania.The various activities proposed to achieve the objectives will be addressed from two broad perspectives, regional archeology and actualistic taphonomy. From regional archeology, in each of the micro-regions of interest variables will be studied  related to the chronology of human occupations, subsistence, mobility, organization of lithic technology and ceramics, settlement systems, burial practices, etc. Actualistic taphonomic studies will take place through naturalistic observations in order to know what were the different processes and taphonomic agents acting on sites and thus provide greater reliability to archaeological interpretation, as well as knowing the ecological context developed in which the activities that gave rise to the archaeological record.

This project aims to contribute to the understanding of the formation of the faunal and human bone records in different environmental contexts of the Pampas region, particularly the plains of the Iinter-sierra region. To achieve this end, we propose two main lines of research: 1) actualistic studies through systematic observations in the field and experimental designs, and 2) the excavation of archaeological sites in stratigraphy. From these lines of research the following objectives were established: 1) contribute to building a body of actualistic taphonomic information that is useful for the generation of hypotheses about the different processes involved in the formation of archaeological sites in the Inter-sierra region; 2) determine the degree of integrity of archaeological sites in order to contribute to the area's archaeological interpretations, and 3) organize a database of agents, processes and taphonomic effects generated from the combination of the actualistic and archaeological studies and to contribute to the identification of regional taphonomic patterns. To achieve the objectives of the proposed work plan includes observations and taphonomic experiments, and archaeological excavations. Observations will be made considering naturalistic taphonomic environments such as lagoons, river valleys, and plains with eolic hills within the counties of Benito Juárez, San Cayetano, Olavarria, Tres Arroyos and General Lamadrid. In parallel, plans to excavate the sites The Brusquillas 3 (county of San Cayetano) and Arroyo Seco 2 (county of Tres Arroyos). It is expected that the combination of actualistic and archaeological information will help to determine preservation and pollution patterns in the region and predict the degree of integrity of sites deployed on landforms similar to those studied. Also, the possibility of carrying out this project will be a pioneering effort to begin calibrating rates, rythums, magnitudes of taphonomic modifications that so far are deduced to other regions.