Abstract

APOLINAIRE, Eduardo  and  BASTOURRE, Laura. EARLY HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS ON THE CONQUEST OF RÍO DE LA PLATA (SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH CENTURIES): A COMPARATIVE ETHNOHISTORICAL SYNTHESIS. Relaciones [online]. 2016, vol.41, n.2, pp.1-10. ISSN 0325-2221.

This paper presents an ethnohistorical synthesis of the documents produced during the conquest and colonization of southern La Plata basin along the Sixteenth and early Seventeenth centuries. We take into account those passages which allow us to characterize the native societies who inhabited the region, focusing on material culture features that are especially meaningful from an archaeological point of view. This information is tabulated and analyzed in a comparative way in order to discuss the traditional characterization of the groups that inhabited the two major geographic sectors of the study area: lowland islands and high plains. Particularly, we acknowledge the relevance of fuvial environments to charrúa mobility and subsistence, which contrasts with the commonly accepted picture created by archaeology and history.

Keywords : Río de La Plata - Centuries Sixteenth and Seventeenth - ethnohistorical synthesis - archaeological implications.

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