Argentina, located at the southern end of the American continent, has a rich and enduring history of seafaring. For millennia, Indigenous communities navigated both the maritime coasts and inland waters. Later, from the arrival of European explorers in post-medieval times, vessels of many nationalities ventured into these challenging waters in search of passages connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, exploiting the region’s abundant marine resources, and attempting to establish colonial settlements.
This lecture titled, Shipwrecks Stories from the Far South: Underwater Archaeology in Argentina, will showcase selected initiatives in the research and management of historic shipwrecks in Argentina, led by the National Secretary of Culture, which has been actively involved in the study and protection of this fragile heritage for over three decades.
About the Speaker
Dr Dolores Elkin is an Argentine archaeologist and diver, and Principal Researcher with the National Research Council (CONICET). In 1996, she established Argentina’s first Underwater Archaeology Programme at the National Institute of Anthropology (Ministry of Culture). Over the past decades, she has led numerous research projects involving shipwrecks from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries, and her experience is reflected in an extensive record of publications for both academic and general audiences.
Dr Elkin is Professor of Maritime and Coastal Archaeology at the University of Buenos Aires and has trained people across Latin America through UNESCO programmes, where she also serves as part of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Body for underwater cultural heritage. Her work has been supported by leading national and international institutions, and she is a National Geographic Explorer.
