Abstract

Stonework is a millennia-old tradition in many regions of the world. In Uruguay, circular-based conical stone structures have been identified under various denominations, although their origin and function remain unclear. This article presents the study of two clusters of such cones located in the hill ranges south of Minas, Lavalleja. A pedestrian survey recorded twelve structures, complemented by the production of three-dimensional models of two examples. Additional structures were identified using satellite imagery. The cones are located on west-facing slopes, built from locally available rock on leveled platforms. They display morphological variability that enabled us to define three types: truncated cones, “bottle-shaped” cones, and quarter-sphere cones. Their preservation varies considerably, reflecting both human disturbance and natural factors. Documentary sources and comparison with analogous materialities from elsewhere in South America suggest possible symbolic, ritual, funerary, or territorial roles. In Lavalleja, the presence of quartz, the placement near water springs, and solar alignments lend support to a hypothesis of ritual practices associated with the sacralization of hilltops. This study is a first step toward integrating these structures into the department’s heritage inventory and underscores the need for public policies and systematic research that bring together archaeological research, conservation, and community participation.

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Abstract

In adherence to ethical guidelines prohibiting the exhibition of human remains, this paper presents the conservation plan implemented to mitigate deterioration, together with the bioarchaeological analysis of a mummified individual housed at the San Rafael Natural History Museum (Mendoza), recovered from the Gruta del Indio site in Rincón del Atuel. Non-invasive conservation procedures, guided by bioethical principles of dignity, sensitivity, and respect, significantly slowed the degradation process and enhanced preservation. Imaging techniques, initially employed to assess internal deterioration, also yielded data on the individual´s sex, age, and paleopathological indicators. The remains are most likely those of a female infant, approximately three months old, who exhibits multiple cranial injuries consistent with perimortem fractures, potentially related to the cause of death. The ongoing conservation program includes periodic environmental monitoring to ensure stable conditions essential for preserving the body’s integrity. The use of modern analytical methods provided reliable diagnostic assessments, the optimization of preservation strategies, and the creation of a protective environment. This approach contributes to a broader understanding of stress and trauma in past populations, offering valuable insight into the lived experiences of this individual.

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Abstract

The study of the press in relation to certain periods and themes remains undeveloped. Its analysis is nevertheless essential because it allows insight into prevailing positions, discourses, and historical contexts, even though press narratives during this period generally reflected the outlook of the elite, who wove their interests into the ink. The aim of this article is to analyze the press’s engagement with slave manumission within an adverse context for northern Peru, marked by prolonged droughts, locusts that destroyed crops, deadly diseases, and the decline of the northern slave trade, among other bitter conditions affecting the agricultural sector. The study advances the hypothesis of a close relationship between the press, the elite, and the landowners, who, despite the multiple challenges they faced, chose to maintain the slave system. This continued to provide economic returns—albeit diminished towards the end of the eighteenth century—as well as social implications, as the great families preserved the “prestige” of having numerous slaves, understood as a marker of abundance. Within this framework, the press mirrored the perspectives and interests of the northern elite, whose economic base lay primarily in agriculture and mining. It can therefore be concluded that northern newspapers largely opted to remain silent rather than debate and denounce the slave system, as this would have directly or indirectly threatened their economic interests.

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Abstract

Over the past decade, migration flows in Latin America have undergone significant transformations due to various socio-political crises, leading to an increase in intraregional migration. This shift has occurred in the context of restrictive new migration policies and a high number of irregular entries through unauthorized border crossings. Within this scenario, unaccompanied adolescents have emerged as an incipient and increasingly vulnerable group in Chile’s migration landscape. This article examines their migration trajectories, and challenges traditional explanatory factors of emigration, as well as adult-centric analytical perspectives, through an exploratory and descriptive study based on the qualitative analysis of 3 life stories. The article argues that migration trajectories constitute a complex articulation of experiences that begin in the country of origin and continue along the journey and into the host society. The findings reveal that this population develops within a context of precariousness and is subjected to multiple forms of violence, including physical, psychological, intrafamilial, and sexual abuse, as well as abandonment and family disintegration from childhood to adolescence. These factors not only highlight but also accelerate their processes of autonomy.

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