El patrimonio arqueológico como recurso: Políticas estatales de gestión en Tucumán y Tafí del Valle

The Tucuman region, located in the heart of Northwestern Argentina, is an area known for its wealth of cultural materials. From the earliest days of the nation, Tucuman has been a place where a wide range of policies and proposals have been advanced in relation to how these materials should be managed. It is therefore possible to review the concrete developments that have taken place along these lines, as well as the specifics of other projects that have been proposed.Here we undertake an initial analysis of how the State has engaged in the planning, definition and, ultimately, the construction of the province of Tucuman’s archeological heritage, with regard to the collection of cultural material resources. These represent a distinctive element of local history and therefore deserve special attention in terms of guaranteeing their secure curation and future preservation.The specific focus of our study is the pre-Hispanic indigenous material culture of western Tucuman. We discuss the different processes that have taken place during the last one hundred years, taking into account the various entities involved in establishing heritage status and the associated historical, political and social contexts. We believe this is a case that may become paradigmatic in coming years, in regard to both the present-day uses of pre-Hispanic cultural resources and their long-term future.