GIS Modeling of Colonial Mobility: The Royal Road to Peru through the Abreu Gorge (Salta, Argentina)

This study examines colonial roads in northwestern Argentina, focusing on the connection between the Lerma and Calchaquí valleys via the Camino al Peru through the Quebrada de Abreu. To evaluate circulation within this mountainous landscape, we used documentary sources from the Historical Archive of...

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Autor principal: Mignone, Pablo
Formato: Artículo revista
Lenguaje:Español
Publicado: Instituto de Arqueología, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires 2026
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Acceso en línea:https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/Arqueologia/article/view/16709
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spelling I28-R243-article-167092026-02-16T22:24:41Z GIS Modeling of Colonial Mobility: The Royal Road to Peru through the Abreu Gorge (Salta, Argentina) Modelización SIG de la movilidad colonial: el Camino Real al Perú por la quebrada de Abreu (Salta, Argentina) Mignone, Pablo Mignone, Pablo Análisis SIG Caminos coloniales Circulación ecuestre Modelización espacial Colonial roads Spatial modeling GIS analysis Equestrian circulation This study examines colonial roads in northwestern Argentina, focusing on the connection between the Lerma and Calchaquí valleys via the Camino al Peru through the Quebrada de Abreu. To evaluate circulation within this mountainous landscape, we used documentary sources from the Historical Archive of Salta, archaeological surveys, and GPS-tracked horseback transit records. A Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approach combined with multivariate statistics was used to model mobility costs, considering slope, vegetation, and transit logistics. The results demonstrate that traditional Least Cost Path (LCP) models based solely on slope do not adequately explain historical circulation. The probability distribution of slopes, together with the speeds observed in actual horseback travel, suggest that movement did not necessarily follow the least costly routes. Comparative analyses of different LCP models underscore the need to integrate alternative slope data distributions to improve the reconstruction of historical roads. The findings indicate that colonial roads reflect a complex interplay of environmental, economic, and social factors, with the use of horses playing a key role in shaping the landscape. Finally, this study highlights the importance of GIS in historical archaeology as an essential tool for understanding mobility during the colonial period. . Este estudio analiza los caminos coloniales en el noroeste argentino, centrándose en la conexión entre los valles de Lerma y Calchaquí a través del Camino al Perú por la Quebrada de Abreu. Para evaluar la circulación en el paisaje montañoso, se emplean fuentes documentales del Archivo Histórico de Salta, prospecciones arqueológicas y registros de tránsito a caballo. Mediante un enfoque basado en Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y estadística multivariada, se modelan los costos de movilidad considerando pendiente, vegetación y logística de tránsito. Los resultados indican que los modelos tradicionales de caminos de menor costo (Least Cost Path, LCP) basados únicamente en la pendiente no explican completamente la circulación histórica. La distribución de probabilidades de la pendiente y la velocidad observadas en el tránsito real a caballo indica que éste no necesariamente sigue las rutas menos costosas. Se comparan diferentes modelos de LCP, destacando la necesidad de integrar otras distribuciones de datos de pendiente para mejorar la representación de los caminos históricos. Se concluye que los caminos coloniales reflejan una combinación compleja de factores ambientales, económicos y sociales, donde el uso del caballo desempeñó un papel clave en la configuración del paisaje. Se resalta la importancia del SIG en la arqueología histórica como herramienta esencial para comprender la movilidad en el período colonial. Instituto de Arqueología, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires 2026-02-16 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf text/html https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/Arqueologia/article/view/16709 10.34096/arqueologia.t32.n1.16709 Arqueología; Vol. 32 No. 1 (2026): Vol. 32(1); 16709 Arqueología; Vol. 32 Núm. 1 (2026): enero - abril; 16709 1853-8126 0327-5159 spa https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/Arqueologia/article/view/16709/15859 https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/Arqueologia/article/view/16709/15860 Derechos de autor 2026 Pablo Mignone https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-243
container_title_str Arqueología
language Español
format Artículo revista
topic Análisis SIG
Caminos coloniales
Circulación ecuestre
Modelización espacial
Colonial roads
Spatial modeling
GIS analysis
Equestrian circulation
spellingShingle Análisis SIG
Caminos coloniales
Circulación ecuestre
Modelización espacial
Colonial roads
Spatial modeling
GIS analysis
Equestrian circulation
Mignone, Pablo
Mignone, Pablo
GIS Modeling of Colonial Mobility: The Royal Road to Peru through the Abreu Gorge (Salta, Argentina)
topic_facet Análisis SIG
Caminos coloniales
Circulación ecuestre
Modelización espacial
Colonial roads
Spatial modeling
GIS analysis
Equestrian circulation
author Mignone, Pablo
Mignone, Pablo
author_facet Mignone, Pablo
Mignone, Pablo
author_sort Mignone, Pablo
title GIS Modeling of Colonial Mobility: The Royal Road to Peru through the Abreu Gorge (Salta, Argentina)
title_short GIS Modeling of Colonial Mobility: The Royal Road to Peru through the Abreu Gorge (Salta, Argentina)
title_full GIS Modeling of Colonial Mobility: The Royal Road to Peru through the Abreu Gorge (Salta, Argentina)
title_fullStr GIS Modeling of Colonial Mobility: The Royal Road to Peru through the Abreu Gorge (Salta, Argentina)
title_full_unstemmed GIS Modeling of Colonial Mobility: The Royal Road to Peru through the Abreu Gorge (Salta, Argentina)
title_sort gis modeling of colonial mobility: the royal road to peru through the abreu gorge (salta, argentina)
description This study examines colonial roads in northwestern Argentina, focusing on the connection between the Lerma and Calchaquí valleys via the Camino al Peru through the Quebrada de Abreu. To evaluate circulation within this mountainous landscape, we used documentary sources from the Historical Archive of Salta, archaeological surveys, and GPS-tracked horseback transit records. A Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approach combined with multivariate statistics was used to model mobility costs, considering slope, vegetation, and transit logistics. The results demonstrate that traditional Least Cost Path (LCP) models based solely on slope do not adequately explain historical circulation. The probability distribution of slopes, together with the speeds observed in actual horseback travel, suggest that movement did not necessarily follow the least costly routes. Comparative analyses of different LCP models underscore the need to integrate alternative slope data distributions to improve the reconstruction of historical roads. The findings indicate that colonial roads reflect a complex interplay of environmental, economic, and social factors, with the use of horses playing a key role in shaping the landscape. Finally, this study highlights the importance of GIS in historical archaeology as an essential tool for understanding mobility during the colonial period. .
publisher Instituto de Arqueología, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires
publishDate 2026
url https://revistascientificas.filo.uba.ar/index.php/Arqueologia/article/view/16709
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