Rock art landscapes. Identification of rock art production and distribution patterns at broad spatial scales (Yaten Guajen Canyon, Santa Cruz, Patagonia argentina)

Abstract

This paper presents a preliminary approach to the characterisation of rock art landscapes based on the study and systematic analysis of rock art in two sectors of Yaten Guajen Canyon (Santa Cruz, Patagonia Argentina). This analysis is based on the notion that rock art landscapes which are currently visible are product of the accumulated actions of human groups whose agencies have left signs in: a) the distribution of motifs on the bedrock –identifiable through the study of the frequency, proportion, density, expansion and variety of motifs and motif types–, and b) the relations within motifs, and between motifs and the bedrock. To this end, we propose a rock art recording method and data analysis protocol which operates at large spatial scales, combining the notion of the archaeological record as a continuum with the notion that the engagement with rock art landscapes requires both perception and movement while operating at different complementary spatial scales. The results are discussed in the light of the links between the agencies of rock art producers and observers, suggesting that rock art landscapes require not only visual perception but also physical movement to experience them.