Human Occupations in the High Mountains of Mendoza Between the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Glass in the Eaves of Casucha Paramillo de Las Cuevas

Abstract

The general context of this work focuses on the human occupations of post-Hispanic times in the Cordillera Principal of Mendoza (Argentina), an archaeological issue that has been scarcely discussed in the region. Casucha Paramillo de Las Cuevas is one of the eight refuges built at the end of the 18th century to facilitate the crossing of the Cordillera through the Paso Uspallata. People, royal mail and trade between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans circulated through this extreme region, with altitudes above 3000 m.a.s.l. and winter snowfalls. This contribution focuses on the analysis of thousands of glass recovered from the rocky eaves surrounding the casucha and the general presentation of the contexts. Both rocky eaves were occupied in historic times, although they also present evidence of pre-Hispanic occupations. Several types of bottles of alcoholic beverages produced industrially between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries were found. These drinks were consumed by travelers, muleteers and possibly by workers involved in the construction of the Ferrocarril Trasandino and the telegraph, in order to alleviate the cold and freezing during travel and periods of isolation. The presence of these remains, some of them foreign, show the impact of the insertion of this southern and extreme zone in the global economic system since the second half of the 19th century.