For this brief presentation we are going to use, almost literally, some ideas we wrote some years ago (
This Latin American regional trait probably derives from the researchers’ flexibility, forged by theoretical and methodological influences from diverse sources, both of Anglophone origin - basically American - and from the European tradition. However, above all, it is a consequence of the will -renewed and diversified - of a type of archaeological research that, in rejecting the pervading modernity, has been giving rise to “creative forms of archaeology” over the years (
It is not surprising that, among the increasingly extensive production of historiography, it is possible to find publications that address the construction and management aspects of historical architecture (
Despite this open-mindedness, there is something in the archaeology of that region that remains a challenge. Latin American archaeology is not accustomed to working on above level 0 archaeology, i.e. on buildings that are still standing and in use. Indeed, with few exceptions, they appear to have given up working above the ground. We find this troubling, since the mistake could be made of leaving built heritage - particularly in cities - in the hands of those who study it from conservative historiographic perspectives and/or who only see it as a set of spaces that can be given another function or demolished based on strictly financial interests (
Our scientific link with Latin America goes back to the year 2000 when, invited by Eusebio Leal Spengler and Roger Arrazcaeta, we gave a seminar on “The Archaeology of Architecture” at the Havana Archaeology Office on February 29 and March 1 of that year. Subsequently, we have been invited to deliver PhD courses and seminars on the Archaeology of Architecture in various establishments, mainly in Puerto Rico, Peru, Uruguay, and Argentina. It was in this context of uninterrupted contacts over two decades that the need to work transversally between the two continents arose. Two lines of research emerged from this desire, both of which currently focus on the field of historical archaeology.
The first
The second
These two lines of thought will be developed further by researchers from the various universities on both sides of the Atlantic. We would like to use these lines to extend an invitation to all those interested in sharing experiences and knowledge.
agustin.azkarate@gmail.com, agustin.azcarate@ehu.eus / ORCID iD:
As an example, you may consult the interesting discussion on “public archaeology” that has recently arisen as a result of a recent publication by three renowned Spanish archaeologists (in the English version:
“La Arqueología de la Arquitectura: nuevos retos metodológicos y su aplicación en Europa y América Latina” (HAR2015-64439-P), funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
“Arqueología de la Arquitectura entre el viejo y el nuevo mundo: de la estratigrafía del edificio a la estratigrafía de la trama urbana” (PID2019-109464GB-100), funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.