Resistant practices, avoidance, and social reproduction in an adverse historical context. Looking at the indigenous from Córdoba (Argentina) in early colonial times

Abstract

The research is carried out within a historical-archaeological framework, conceived as the study of the worldwide modernization process after the European expansion. The archaeological site Alero Tala Huasi,occupied since pre-Hispanic times, is analyzed. The continuities and changes in its occupation during early colonial times -late 16th and early 17th centuries- are taken into account. The temporal persistence ofcertain economical, technological and ritual practices of pre-Hispanic roots and the selective incorporation of European elements, like the consumed livestock, are interpreted as a kind of resistance to colonialdomination and an effort to maintain the social integration. The relevance of historical archaeology to study the social processes beyond the written sources is emphasized, since it leads to the understandingof daily life practices and the agency of collective groups not registered by Colonial society’s official discourse.