Argentina

Notes on Argentina (16th Century) 1. During the Colonial period (16th century), Argentina was not its own country but rather an indigenous nation of nomadic civilization. Many indigenous groups populated what is now Argentina at the beginning of the 16th century. a. Unique: they were a civilization, the Spanish first explored 2. In this Epoch, the people were hunter-gatherers. They hunted and did agriculture. They followed Columbian cultures at the time. They were similar to the cavemen times. The men protected their family and took care of their young. 3. There were only like two classes, but the second was divided into two. The chiefs of the indigenous groups were the upper class, while the families under him were the other lower class. That was the main difference in class. There were stronger men that fought in battles and the houses with better construction. 4. The dressing although basic still differed based on the group or the class of the person. Although the weather was not very good, they still wore little to no clothes. They were hunters so they needed the most efficient clothing. They wore clothes made out of animal skin or other crops found. 5. The homes were like tents from today but handmade. The people used grass, animal skin and any other equipment found to build homes. The homes were either triangular shaped or shaped like an igloo. 6. The people were either basic hunters/food gatherers, without development of pottery, advanced hunters/ food gatherers, or farmers with pottery. They made a living by hunting and gathering. They hunted animals that could benefit them with other aspects apart from their meat. 7. They were a wide variety of food from meat, such as guanaco, to crops, such as maize. Meat made had to be eaten and could not really be stored. The men hunted daily in order to provide meat for their families. Some crops could be grounded and dried and stored in pottery jars. 8. They didn’t have a variety of travel options. They either traveled by feet or by cattle depending on the distance. The journeys were long and took from weeks to months at a time. 9. If people wanted to entertain themselves they would usually go outside to play with one another. Some indigenous groups gathered to share myths and tales in order to pass on the generation’s legacy. They often gathered for festivals or celebrations. 10. There were no artistic work towards the beginning of the 16th century but the aboriginal stories eventually influenced authors. Paintings were done of the indigenous people and of the Europeans who traveled there in order to colonize Argentina. The art of both contradicts each other because the indigenous people are seen as less based on how they dress. The Europeans are dressed like royalty.