Resumo
Our investigations in Babia (León, Spain) examine the complex long-term biographies of upland landscapes mediated by human activity. We should not oversimplify their nature as merely 'marginal' or 'remote', because global processes are clearly connected to this region. The project analyses material and intangible traits, integrating archaeological and paleoenvironmental datasets. Furthermore, ethnographic accounts are valuable sources for understanding the potential and limitations of developing activities like pastoralism. These sources actually describe livelihoods that should be historically contextualised in the Modern and Contemporary periods. Therefore, generalisations based on strict ethnographic analogies perpetuate ahistorical views on the landscape biographies of these mountains. The uncritical use of local ethnographic accounts burdens our archaeological imagination, by focusing our attention on models that are not the only options for understanding ancient landscapes. Moreover, it strengthens internal colonialism, as current challenges faced by rural communities are overshadowed by nostalgia for ‘traditional’ rural livelihoods. Future rural development rarely involves radical changes to cultural, social or economic traits, due to the reluctance of public bodies and the strict preservation regulations of cultural and natural heritage. Landscape Archaeology can deconstruct some of these misconceptions, facilitating a more nuanced understanding of past, present, and future socio-environmental relations in mountainous landscapes.
Palabras chave
Ethnoarchaeology. Remoteness. Pastoralism. Internal colonialism. Rural decline. Iberian Peninsula.