Agriculture and pastoralism in the northern Calchaqui Valley (Salta, Argentina). Towards an integrated view of past and present productive practices

Hacia una visión integrada de las prácticas productivas del presente y del pasado

Abstract

Research conducted in recent years in the northern sector of the Calchaquí Valley has led us to rethink the importance of pastoral practices in areas traditionally associated with agriculture. Observations indicate that both activities would have been closely linked, both spatially and logistically, particularly in those sectors less impacted by market logics. This seems to correspond with the data obtained from the preliminary analysis of the archaeological record in which the agricultural sites show evidence of interaction with camelids, either within their perimeter or in close proximity. Accordingly, in this paper we proposed to address, from an ethnographic perspective, the place of animal husbandry/grazing in the daily life of the settlers and time budget requests of several activities implying links with agriculture. We believe that the contemporary study of these practices can help us to understand the materiality of the past, as well as contribute to a reading of the history of the valley based on the management of a notion of long time. This article presents the results of the ethnographic approach of three case studies in the region.

ARK CAICYT: https://id.caicyt.gov.ar/ark:/s16688090/tx6gkn0vf