Tangible and Intangible dimensions of water landscape construction in drylands

PASTOR, G.; LAURA TORRES

Israel

Congreso; International Conference "Deserts and Desertification - Challenges and Opportunities; 2006

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

The study submitted aims at giving an account of the progress achieved in the research on the construction of the cultural water landscape in drylands of the Argentine center-west.  The case study is the northeast of Mendoza province, an area inhabited by human groups self-defined as Huarpes. The work is oriented to showing some of the cultural peculiarities displayed by these groups. The hypothesis from which this study develops points out the existence of -at least- two basic dimensions associated with the use of water resources: a material dimension (technologies and devices for catchment and use of water resources) – and a symbolic dimension (water-related rituals) that interact in the formation of ethno-territories and manifest themselves in diverse ways in the cultural landscape. Finally, it is concluded that the cultural landscape observed through its material and symbolic dimensions accounts for the “integrated and complex adaptive strategy” whereby local people have thus far been able to solve their social reproduction issue.