The objective of this work is to explore what are the main problems involved in the construction of the past of the original societies of America. It analyzes the way in which history is elaborated from material sources, taking the case of the work produced by the first Americanists in the Calchaquí Valleys of the current Argentine Northwest. Between the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century, numerous field explorations, studies of ancient materials and images, and interpretations of indigenous practices and meanings took place that confronted researchers with a series of dilemmas in relation to cultural diversity.: Is it possible to know without loving? Does knowledge necessarily imply dominance? Is the assimilation of the vanquished inevitable? The history of the Americanist adventure not only exposes the variety of possible positions in relation to the cultural other, but also reveals surprising combinations of ideological commitments and intellectual resources, with the consequent visions of the resulting Native American past and present. Author Javier Nastri is an anthropologist and PhD in Archaeology from the Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Master in Sociology of Culture and Cultural Analysis by the Universidad Nacional de General San Martín.

The objective of this work is to explore what are the main problems involved in the construction of the past of the original societies of America. It analyzes the way in which history is elaborated from material sources, taking the case of the work produced by the first Americanists in the Calchaquí Valleys of the current Argentine Northwest. Between the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century, numerous field explorations, studies of ancient materials and images, and interpretations of indigenous practices and meanings took place that confronted researchers with a series of dilemmas in relation to cultural diversity.: Is it possible to know without loving? Does knowledge necessarily imply dominance? Is the assimilation of the vanquished inevitable? The history of the Americanist adventure not only exposes the variety of possible positions in relation to the cultural other, but also reveals surprising combinations of ideological commitments and intellectual resources, with the consequent visions of the resulting Native American past and present. Author Javier Nastri is an anthropologist and PhD in Archaeology from the Universidad de Buenos Aires, and Master in Sociology of Culture and Cultural Analysis by the Universidad Nacional de General San Martín.