Colonial rock art: A reflection on resistance and cultural change (16th and 17th century-Córdoba, Argentina)

Abstract

This work analyses colonial rock art documented in western and northern areas of the Sierras Grandes (Argentinean central area). We question and discuss some of the social implications of this form of expression and its role in the game of power framed in the Spanish colonial domination system in America. We propose that pre-Hispanic rock art became part of a related group of social practices that guaranteed the social reproduction of the population. This practice continued during the early colonial period, and it not only implied the incorporation of the figure of the dominant in the traditional framework but also represented a form of symbolic resistance against colonial imposition.