Challenges and specificities of battlefield archaeology in Argentina: The case of Cepeda battlefield, 1859

LEONI, JUAN B.; MARTÍNEZ, LUCAS

Dublin

Congreso; The Ninth International Fields of Conflict Conference; 2016

Trinity Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies in collaboration with the University of York, Rubicon Heritage & The Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin

The battle of Cepeda, 1859, was one of the highpoints in the crucial confrontation between the Argentine Confederation and the rebellious Buenos Aires Province, which shaped modern nation state building. Whereas the confederate army commanded by president Justo J. Urquiza defeated the provincial army led by Bartolomé Mitre, this victory would not be decisive and more fighting would follow until Buenos Aires´ definitive triumph in 1861. The battle has only been studied by historians, using the contradictory commanders battle reports. This paper presents the archaeological researchon óf the battlefield. We discuss methods, finds, and interpretations, but also use this case study to address three major issues that differentiate this battlefield study from contemporary European and North American cases: 1)Heterodox battle practices, that combined Napoleonic style tactics for infantry nd artillery, with a locally developed emphasis on irregular and light cavalry; 2) A lack of written sources on both weapons and equipments employed, and specific details of the battle; 3) Landscape transformations that significantly altered the original fighting grounds. As a whole, these issues, a widespread occurrence in Argentine XIXth century battles, challenge the development of battlefield studies and pose limitations to its interpretive potential.