Archaeological and Anthropological Perspectives on the Native Peoples of Pampa, Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego to the Nineteenth Century [Hardcover]

The Spanish conquerors who explored the southern cone of South America reported back to Europe that the region was empty of human inhabitants. In truth, however, the large area supported a thriving, albeit low-density, population of foragers. Those foragersthe Mapuche, Tehuelche, Rankuelche, and Fueguian peoplesare the subject of this volume, which presents archaeological and ethnographic studies of their past.

The southern cone of South America was one of the last regions to be colonized on earth. When the Spanish Royal Crown experienced difficulties expanding its colonial frontiers to include these lands, the area became known as a vast wildnerness at the very edge of the civilized world. As a result, the native peoples who did indeed inhabit the area were marginalized and as time passed the significance of their historical experience was ignored. This compilation of research by noted scholars of the region investigates the past of peoples largely neglected by the historical accounts of their conquerors. The history of the native peoples of Pampa, Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego is a vital aspect of the region's past. Their historical knowledge and experience play a vital role in the struggle of a people to maintain a sense of cultural difference in an ever-changing world.

CLAUDIA BRIONES is a member of the Anthropology Department, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Argentina.

JOSE LUIS LANATA is a member of the Anthropology Department, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Argentina.

Foreword by Laurie L. Weinstein
Living on the Edge& by Claudia Briones and Jos? Luis Lanata
Biological Anthropology in Fuego-Patagonia by Ricardo Guich?n
The Pampean Foragers by Gustavo Politis
The Archaeology of Patagonia by Luis A. Borrero
The World's Southernmost Foragers: The Native Diversity of Tierra del Fuego by Jos? Luis Lanata
Indigenous History of Northwest Patagonia: Regional Identities during the 17th and 18th Centuries bylƒ0