Native farming in the Souther Cone of South America

There is abundant information about the transhumant character of the peoples of the coasts of Para Guazú (Guaraní name of the Río de la Plata) before the European invasion. farming
When referring to the towns that inhabited the banks of the great river, the Spanish chroniclers repeatedly pointed out that the nations that lived there did not cultivate, that they only fed on fishing and hunting, that they knew neither population nor fixed seat, in end that were nomadic peoples.
However, in the continent of corn and tobacco, and in an area of ​​easy communications such as the Para Guazú region, it is unimaginable that there could be villages that did not know agriculture.
The European chroniclers themselves, when referring to the productions of several local communities -for example chandules-carios-guaraníes and chaná-timbúes- repeatedly pointed out that these were cultivating peoples of abatí or corn, squash, cassava and other crops. Given the geographical proximity between the aforementioned peoples and the Charrúas and other similar nations (they lived in the same area) and their close relationships, which were proved by Ulrich Smidtl himself, chronicler of the expedition of Pedro de Mendoza in 1535-15362, It is sure that they maintained frequent contacts, including commercial exchange activities. For that reason, there is no doubt that the Charrúas and Miinuanes habitually consumed agricultural products, either planted by their neighbors and obtained through trade or cultivated by themselves. Although there are no specific descriptions of crops in the Charrúas villages, we must not forget that the first contacts of those who keep chronicles took place within a framework of military aggression that prevented us from knowing precisely how the economy of these native peoples worked. On the other hand, the partial and fragmentary Spanish version of the original Uruguayan culture was limited to the coastal camps (where fishing was the central activity). It is very probable, as happens in several Chaco towns that outside the area of ​​the coast, agriculture constitutes a complementary activity associated to small chacras hidden in the mountains, along the annual transhumant itineraries. This was certainly true in the case of the ancient Guenoas-Minuane communities who, we believe, inhabited the region now known as "de los Cerritos de Indios" in the Atlantic-lacunar region.
At least, it is certain that agriculture was a secondary activity in almost all the towns. Although in some communities this could be practically non-existent, in others it was a common practice.
In recent years, precisely in the archaeological studies of the "Cerritos de Indios" were found silicofitolitos corn, beans, squash and achiras, confirming the existence of agricultural activities before the European invasion.