Regional Archaeology in the Province of San Luis: the case of La Travesía

Abstract

This paper presents the first results of field and laboratory investigations carried out in western San Luis, in the region known as La Travesía. Biogeographically, it presents conditions typical of semi-arid to arid environments, lacking in surface water suitable for the physiological requirements of human groups. Archeologically, recent works are not verified outside of our project, with which, in the first instance, a review of the archaeological bibliography of the last century is presented. In a second stage, the work carried out is detailed, including an initial characterization of the recognized sites based on their location in the local geomorphological units and the identified raw materials. Based on the synthesis of past research and the new information generated, a first spatial trend, and to a lesser extent chronological, of indigenous occupations is discussed. The elements of the landscape capable of containing water and the outcrops of rocks suitable for carving are, until now, the points in space that concentrate the evidence of human occupation. This is consistent with what is expected for spaces with a notorious water deficit, where water and rocks were critical resources for making decisions.