The use of historical documents to reconstruct the vegetation of the Llanura de la Travesia (Argentina) during early nineteenth century | Utilizacion de documentos historicos en la reconstruccion de la vegetacion de la Llanura de la Travesia (Argen

PRIETO, M.D.R.; VILLAGRA, P.E.,; LANA, N.B.; ABRAHAM, E.M.

REVISTA CHILENA DE HISTORIA NATURAL

Sociedad de Biología de Chile

Lugar: Chile; Año: 2003 vol. 76 p. 613 - 622

0716-078X

The Llanura de la Travesiìa extends in the Mendoza and San Luis provinces between the Andean piedmont and the Sierras Pampeanas. The goal of this study was to reconstruct the vegetation and soil characteristics of the Llanura de la Travesia during early 1800s by means of a combinationg of information from several documentary sources. The reconstruction was based mainly on the reports of Don Faustino Ansay, recorded in 1802 to verify the state of the Camino de la Travesiìa or Real (Royal Road) from Corocorto (present Villa de la Paz) to San Luis. This information was complemented with field notes from other travelers along the road. Our results revealed that plant cover and density increased from west to east, as it is observed today. However, the absence of Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco in the Ansay´s report, suggests that changes in the distribution of some tree species have occurred. This study validates the use of documental information to reconstruct past vegetation and soil characteristics. This information can be used as a valuable tool to detect environmental changes.