THE ROCK ART OF THE PUKARA DE RINCONADA IN A MICROREGIONAL CONTEXT (PUNA OF JUJUY, ARGENTINA)

Abstract

Since the early 20th century, the Pukara de Rinconada (Puna of Jujuy, Argentina) has called the
attention of several investigators interested in the archaeology of this area. Our studies in the south
of the Pozuelos Basin, area where the Pukara is located, began in 2004, allowing us to analyze the
transformation of its socio-cultural landscapes over time. Recently, during the course of the year
2017, we started with the investigations in this particular site and its surrounding terraces, doing
prospections for the systematic registration of rock art. In this context, the objective of this work
includes the presentation and analysis of the manifestations registered up to now, following the
stylistic definitions proposed previously by us for the area. The results indicate the existence of a
very important “node” for this region. This site combines most of the Styles and Stylistic Modalities
defined for the area, depicting exclusive motifs not registered in other sites until now. Likewise, the
art presents a great diachronic complexity with multiple re-significations, associated to several and
diverse evidences from different chronologies. The emplacement selected for the Pukara
constitutes an inflection point in the landscape, with high visual permeability and physical control of
the main transited routes in this area.