Mask motifs in the land of geometrics. A systematic exploration of the rock art landscapes of Southern Mendoza region (Central-West Argentina)

Abstract

This paper is based on a theoretical perspective focused on the materiality of rock art: breaking away from the primacy of communication and representation in the archaeology of art, it proposes a set of concepts to approach the engagement of people with rock art via its techno-visual and performative qualities. These concepts are applied to a regional case study in Southern Mendoza (Central-West Argentina), in order to characterise the visual codes underlying the materiality of images. Rock art landscapes are characterised by analysing a database of 89 sites in the three biogeographical units: Altoandina, Patagonia and Monte. Technical choices are related to taphonomic and economic factors such as differential conservation of engravings vs. paintings, support hardness, and labour investment in image production. A relational map shows two different sets of inter-site relations, each one characterised by recurring motif-class combinations within the region. The links between motifs’ morphologies and techniques are systematically analysed, leading to the identification of certain motif classes (e.g. geometric motifs) which were “technically-flexible” enough to be produced via different techniques –their meanings being probably more rooted in their morphology–, versus other “not technically-flexible” motif classes (e.g. head-mask figures) which were only produced with specific techniques, thus suggesting that their contents/messages, aesthetic effects and performative functions stemmed from a combination of techno-visual and morphological features embedded in their materialities. In sum, the paper shows how the engagement of people with rock art motifs and landscapes involves perception and production processes that shape their materialities.