El Hombre Fósil de Miramar

in this paper, the discoveries that took place during archaeological investigations near the town of miramar on the atlantic coast of buenos aires province during the first decades of the twentieth century are examined. these archaeological discoveries are analyzed based on the reading of the scientific publications, documents and the consultation of contemporary newspapers. beginning with the archaeological discoveries of florentino ameghino, the coast of buenos aires became of interest in relation to the establishment of the early human occupation. subsequently, investigations at miramar intensified in an atmosphere of strong polemic, which ranged from the defense of a human presence in tertiary periods to the complete rejection of the fossil finds on the grounds that they were frauds and forgeries. the expeditions to miramar were the subjects of numerous newspaper articles. as such, readers were made aware of the discoveries that were made in argentinean territory. paralleling the academic side of the debate, an environment for public discussion existed through the popular media and literature. in such reports, the 'fossil man' topic was aligned along national lines, tying the interpretation of the past with the contemporary nationalist movement.