Abstract

KLIGMANN, Débora M.  and  DIAZ PAIS, Elena. An initial attempt at understanding serpentine motifs in Aguada iconography. Intersecciones antropol. [online]. 2007, n.8, pp.49-67. ISSN 1850-373X.

Even though there are three recurrent motifs in Aguada iconography, ophidians, unlike felines and human characters, have not been studied in detail. In this paper we present a preliminary approach to the analysis of the patterns used to depict snake-like designs during the Regional Integration Period. In order to fulfill this goal, we compiled images published in the national archaeological literature. The results obtained show that in Aguada iconography ophidians are depicted by themselves or combined with other species. When the latter is the case, ophidians always constitute the body (associated with feline or human heads) or are used as accessories of human characters. Given this fact, when it comes to look for patterns, heads turn out to be more useful than bodies. The most common pattern consists of ophidians seen from above, with triangular heads and two eyes. Future papers about snake-like designs and lizards of other periods will permit to analyze the ways in which the image of reptiles changed through time in northwest Argentina.

Keywords : Aguada iconography; Snake-like designs; Regional Integration Period; Northwest Argentina.

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