Archaeology of the Pilcomayo, Bermejo and Paraguay rivers

Abstract

The Paraguay, Pilcomayo and Bermejo rivers are the main courses that supply water and sediment to the Plata basin and constitute strategic elements to understand the population and population dynamics of the South American lowlands. The goal of this article is to contribute to the knowledge of the historical past of these important water courses from the first recorded evidences of human occupation recorded, based on the analysis of cultural and biological manifestations, and of other particular features resulting from landscape formation in this sector of the La Plata basin. To account for regional archaeological variability, we propose an ordination that articulates ecological, cultural and historical criteria. Thus, we distinguish sectors that we nominate as 'Pilcomayo y Bermejo andino pedemontano'; 'Pilcomayo y Bermejo Chaqueño' and 'sector Río Paraguay' , the latter in turn differentiated into upper (headwaters), middle, lower and confluence. The latter sections involve the large fans formed by the Pilcomayo and Bermejo rivers and the area of the Paraná - Paraguay confluence, which are culturally related. The archaeological information used results from the research carried out by our team in the Chaco region and from available bibliographical information, which we have integrated using a synthetic approach from a Chacoan perspective and in light of the latest regional research. Along these three great rivers, there were noteworthy interactions between diverse human groups that exploited this resource in particular ways. The river was not only a vital resource, but was also important to supply food, mobility and communication. Throughout the proposed spatial and temporal sectorization we will address the use of natural geoforms such as the levee, the intentional production of mounds and other constructions used both for protection against overflow and for the storage and use of water. Likewise, the different strategies of mobility, migration, expansion and exchange have been articulated in a complex way within the repertoire of resolutions of these peoples throughout their history. This has resulted in differential organizations occurring in the archaeological record, either fishing societies with reduced mobility and extensive interaction networks; others that emphasized hunting, fishing and gathering with high residential mobility, or agropastoral societies with greater degree of sedentarism that included cultivation at diverse scales among their economic activities.

Keywords

• cuenca del plata
• paisaje chaqueño
• cambio climático