Savages, Epics and Martyrs. The Master Narrative about San Jose Fort reconsidered from Historical Archaeology (Peninsula Valdes, Chubut Province, 18th Century)

Abstract

From the beginnings of the twentieth century up to present day, Argentinian traditional historiography has studied the late eighteenth century Spanish colonization of the Patagonian coast. The viewpoint developed until 1980 was mainly linked to conservative environments of history that generated a strong Eurocentric and colonialist image of both, the process of settlement and of each of the three installed settlements on the Patagonian coast between 1779 and 1780 (Nuestra Señora del Carmen Fort -Carmen de Patagones, Buenos Aires province, Nueva Colonia y Fuerte de Florida blanca-Puerto San Julián, Santa Cruz province and San José Fort -Península Valdés, Chubut province). Based on new research conducted at San José Fort, this paper discusses its traditional historical approaches. From a de-colonial perspective, it seeks to show how the master historiographic narrative is consistent with the construction of the Argentine nation-state, supported by a retrospective look to legitimate its temporal depth and spatial extent. Thus, from historical archaeology we suggest to expose the materiality of new schemes of senses to understand the colonial process in Patagonia, making other spaces, actors, processes and materiality which remained vague on the national and provincial historiography.