The Trees in the Construction of Landscapes in the Argentine Pampean Region: Changes, Continuities, and Resignifcations in the “Primera Estancia” of Magdalena (Buenos Aires)

Abstract

The southern region of the Río de la Plata coast is characterized by a particular landscape, with large extensions of grasses and riparian forests in the coastal sectors, composed mainly of willows (Salix humboldtiana Willd.) and ceibos (Erythrina crista-galli L.). Also, parallel to the coast, in the shell ridges (old coastlines of the last marine ingression) the talar or talares, the native forests dominated by tala (Celtis tala Gillies ex Planch), develops. It is characterized by its great biodiversity, with foristic elements related to the Phytogeographic Province of the Espinal (Burkart et al. 1999). This sector has a rich natural and cultural heritage that led to the creation of the World Biosphere Reserve “Parque Costero del Sur” in 1984 (CEPA 1989).Different human groups have inhabited this area since the late Holocene, establishing dynamic relationships with the environment over time, giving rise to an anthropized landscape (Paleo et al. 2016). Archaeology is a privileged avenue to address the interactions of native societies with their environment at times prior to the arrival of Europeans. Anthracological and plant micro-rests analyses evidenced the use of species from the tala forest as fuel, food, smoking, and medicine from early times (Auge et al. 2021; Ghiani Echenique et al. 2019). The introduction of allochthonous species was also recorded from about 1800 years BP, such as maize (Zea mays L.) and possibly cassava (aff. Manihot esculenta Crantz), which could have been cultivated in the study area and/or the consumable organs obtained through social networks (Auge et al. 2021).Since their arrival, Europeans burst in, generating a transformative impact that shaped the landscape we know (Pedrotta 2015). They brought their material culture, introducing new animal and plant species, their language, and their practices, which included the forced relocation of native and African populations in the region. This region of Buenos Aires was shaped in the last centuries as a space of rural exploitation in which the cattle ranch, known as “estancia,” was a productive unit that played a central role and drove the introduction and multiplication of livestock and several plant species. Trees were central in the transformation of the landscape, confguring and delimiting spaces in the ranch (García Lerena et al. 2018).The aim of this paper is to inquire about the development and history of “Primera Estancia,” a cattle ranch located in the district of Magdalena, province of Buenos Aires, which history dates back to the eighteenth century up to the present day. In this way, we can learn about the presence of both native and introduced trees and approach the meanings surrounding them in different sources of evidence in order to address their role in shaping this productive space.