ABSTRACT
The flat grasslands of the eastern Pampa are interrupted by two mountain ranges: the Ventania and Tandilia systems (Fig. 17.1). Ventania is a continuous range with its highest point reaching 1247 m above sea level. The Tandilia range is formed by a discontinous group of hills, the highest point being 525 m above sea level. During prehistoric times, both mountain ranges were the principal sources of raw materials, mainly quartzite, chalcedony, granites, and cherts. In addition to these two systems, other areas are identified in the eastern Pampa (Fig. 17.1): West, South, Interserrana, the Salado River depression, and North. Although the prehistoric cultural lifeway in all of these areas was characterized by a basic hunter-gatherer tradition, several cultural variations distinguish one area from another. These variations are explained by different cultural adaptations to different environments and by cultural influences from neighboring areas. Unfortunately, archaeological research in each of these areas has been uneven and provides an incomplete picture of prehistoric cultural adaptation to the eastern Pampa subregion.
