The early prehistory of Argentina and Chile has been presented elsewhere (see Chapter 2.16). The later periods are associated with sedentary peoples obtaining food primarily from agriculture or herding, sometimes combined with hunting and gathering and usually also producing ceramics. Late prehistoric cultures of this type, which had major contacts with southern Bolivia and Peru, are known only in northwestern Argentina and adjacent parts of northern Chile. It is these regions, therefore, that are the subject of this chapter.

The Region

Northwestern Argentine archaeology includes the provinces of Jujuy, Salta, Catamarca, La Rioja, Tucumán and Santiago del Estero (see Map 2.29.1). Bennett, Bleiler and Sommer (1948), for practical reasons but also treating them as valid cultural units, synthesised their work with that of many other scholars and organised information into four major sections: north (Jujuy and part of the adjacent northeastern Salta), centre (Salta, Tucumán and north of Catamarca), south (Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan and the north of Mendoza) and east (Santiago del Estero). We will follow this organisation in our study of the late occupations in this region.

Where ecological zones are concerned, González (1977) subdivided northwestern Argentine archaeology into four regions – Puna, western forests, valleys and gorges – since each of them has its own styles, artistic approaches and techniques. Mendoza, San Juan and San Luis provinces are considered the centre-west (Bárcena 2001). González sees this area as transitional between mainly agriculture-based societies (northwestern Argentina) and guanaco hunter-gatherers (Patagonia). With regard to iconography, he links centre-west Argentina with the northwest. Of course the north section has a particularly important relationship with northern Chile and southern Bolivia.