El Sur del Sur: The indigenous peoples

El Sur del Sur
The Southernmost South

THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous pottery

With the arrival of Spanish conquerors, the indigenous peoples chances to develop their culture were cut short. Only some of them managed to survive the changes imposed upon them by historical evolution.

Motifs taken from Diaguita pottery

In the Northwest

The Diaguita culture was the most complex and numerous of aboriginal populations. About 200,000 natives compounded this people when the Spaniards arrived. They engaged in farming, building canals in order to water their corn, pumpkin and kidney bean crops. They adored Sun, thunder and lightning. They had similar leaderships to the caciques’ chieftancy and their families were monogamous.

Arrowheads. Comechingones

In the sierras

In the area of central sierras, the Comechingones and the Sanavirones had settled down. They lived by hunting, gathering and fishing, they grew corn, kidney beans and pumpkin. They adored the Sun and the Moon.

Continue...

The Way We Are

Table of contents

Surfing the South

webmaster@surdelsur.com