Dwelling architecture and flexible land-use strategies in the Prehispanic Sierras de Córdoba, Argentina

Abstract

The article examines the evidence of architecture recovered from the Late Prehispanic Pe­riod of the Sierras de Córdoba (~1220–330 cal BP), Argentina. We explore the relationship between household architecture and the level of residential mobility, arguing that a f lexible subsistence and mobility pattern followed the adoption of plant cultivation and not entirely sedentary farming. The ar­chitectural evidence presented structures made using low­energy construction techniques that were not intended for an anticipated long­term occupation. This architecture meets the expectation of a settlement pattern left by groups that were occasional food producers and used specific locations as seasonal campsites, indicating a f lexible landscape­use organization.