Sierra de las Quijadas — Potrero Northern Wall Avenue and Causeway (Potrero Norte) — v2
Potrero North Wall · Quijadas Avenue · Aguada North Causeway
Contested Holocene ambiguous — historic to pre-Hispanic hypothesis·Contested Comechingón / Huarpe (?) or natural cuesta (unvalidated)·🇦🇷 San Luis Province, Sierra de las Quijadas, Potrero de la Aguada northern rim causeway, Argentina
About
About Sierra de las Quijadas — Potrero Northern Wall Avenue and Causeway (Potrero Norte) — v2
Northern wall avenue along Potrero de la Aguada northern rim, where a 900 m stone causeway 1.2 m high with flanking huts lines the rim crest. Distinct from southern enclosure, this northern avenue preserves tabular sandstone walls with core rubble fill and two circular bastions 6 m diameter at rim overlook. Unsanctioned 2021 lidar traced avenue continuity but 2022 IANIGLA geologists showed alignment follows Lagarcito Formation bedding strike N45E, identical to natural cuesta. Comechingón attribution contested: walls lack mortar, ceramics sparse, and historic Hualtaran peones recall mid-20th c. cattle drove causeway repair. Treated contested: geometry impressive but geofact parallels strong.
Why it mattersSecond Quijadas contested feature pairs with southern enclosure: rim avenue tests bedding vs. cultural inference; demonstrates cuesta-geofact equifinality and historic pastoral overprint on natural joint sets.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Is 900 m avenue Comechingón rampart vs drover-repaired cuesta?
- 02Are 6 m bastions towers vs bedrock knolls?
Theories
- 01Northern avenue is 20th c. goat drove causeway formalizing natural cuesta bench
- 02If cultural, would be Middle Ceramic Huarpe not Comechingón defensive
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- contested — causeway if cultural c. 800 CE (?) else Jurassic bedding + historic drover repair
- Period
- Contested Holocene ambiguous — historic to pre-Hispanic hypothesis
- Culture
- Contested Comechingón / Huarpe (?) or natural cuesta (unvalidated)
- Purpose
- Contested rim causeway / defensive wall hypothesis vs natural cuesta with pastoral upgrade
- Abandoned
- now goat track, slump sections cliff fall
- Rediscovered
- 2021 drone lidar snippet, 2022 IANIGLA strike mapping
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
Jurassic
Lagarcito cuesta and bedding strike N45E formed
c. 800 CE (?)
Hypothetical Comechingón avenue built if cultural — else no construction
2021–2022
Lidar traces 900 m avenue; IANIGLA shows bedding-parallel geofact
On the ground
Structures & features
32.5430° S · 67.0580° W · 840 m · 3 mapped features
900 m Causeway Avenue (1.2 m high)
avenue900 m stone avenue 1.2 m high along rim crest, tabular slabs
32.5435° S · 67.0585° WCircular Bastion (6 m dia.)
bastionCircular bastion 6 m diameter with rubble core at rim bastion
32.5425° S · 67.0575° WCuesta Bedding Strike N45E
geologyLagarcito cuetsa bedding strike N45E tabular exposure proving geofact parallel
32.5430° S · 67.0580° W