Towards the east of the Valliserrana Region: Diaguita history in Tafí del Valle, Tucumán

Abstract

We approach the study of the indigenous past immediately prior to the Spanish conquest of Tafí del Valle, western Tucumán, a barely known period and, in certain social spaces, specifically ignored and de-nied. We present the results of several researches conducted at different parts of the valley contemplating residential areas, productive spaces with both ritual and symbolic meaning. We discuss proposals on the role this valley could have had under the regional Late Period. We pause to analyze this problem -of high social and political relevance- in this light of population continuities or discontinuities. Using archeology we seek to provide tools that present Tafí communities can use to build alternatives versions of their past, in relation to the official story, in which current inhabitants can recognize themselves as natives to this region.