THE ART WITHOUT FRONTIERS. THE CASE OF LA PORFIADA, ON THE SOUTHERN BANK OF THE SANTA CRUZ RIVER (PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA)
EL ARTE SIN FRONTERAS. EL CASO DE LA PORFIADA EN LA MARGEN SUR DEL RÍO SANTA CRUZ (PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4067/s0717-73562026000100401
Nora Viviana Franco
, Natalia Carden, Anabel Feely, Antonela Di Vruno, Brenda Gilio, Julieta Samoluk Bianchi y María Delfina Paratore
Key words: Permeable frontier, mobility, social interaction, rock art, late Holocene.
Abstract
This paper examines the role of the Santa Cruz River in human mobility throughout the Holocene. To this end, the study analyzes the rock art of the La Porfiada locality, situated close to the southern bank of the river basin along its middle course. The rick art evidence is integrated with other lines of archaeological data, including lithic technology, human burials, and the pigment use associated with mortuary practices. Our analysis focuses on the frequencies of different motif classes and techniques, as well as superimpositions, design structures and thematic associations. The results are compared with existing data on rock art both north and south of the Santa Cruz River. The similarities identified with sites on the northern side of the basin suggest the existence of interaction networks and, possibly, forms of social interaction among groups inhabiting both banks of the river’s middle course. Based on the available chronological evidence from canyons on the northern bank, this social configuration is estimated to have taken place between 2900 and 1100 BP.
