Archaeological trends in the Southern Cone of South America

Current major research directions and findings in three areas of Southern Cone archaeology are discussed: (1) the entry of humans in Late Pleistocene times and early hunter-gatherer society, (2) the emergence of chiefdom societies, and (3) the Inca state. These themes are considered broadly in terms of local and interregional models of economic mobility and sociopolitical organization. Although emphasis is given primarily to the Andean regions of Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, new studies and developments in the Argentinian Pampa and Patagonia are discussed.