Bahía Galenses 2, one of the unidentified shipwreck sites located in the intertidal zone of the Puerto Madryn-Peninsula Valdés area. Photo PROAS.

Underwater Cultural Heritage of Península Valdés (Chubut Province)
Director: Dr. Dolores Elkin
Co-Director: Architect Cristian Murray

This project began in 2004 with the general goal of assessing, mainly through non-intrusive surveys, the magnitude and characteristics of the underwater cultural heritage of the region of Península Valdés and Puerto Madryn. Additionally, given the significant tourist activity of the area, the project proposes that the cultural heritage being recorded be integrated to the tourist management of the area, including public access through responsible diving.

Chubut Province.

Chubut Province.

The study area has around thirty sites, most of them sunken vessels of different size, characteristics and function, which span a period ranging from the 18th century to the late 20th century. Six of the shipwrecks have been selected for a more detailed study on the basis of their cultural and historical significance, as well as their potential value as a touristic resource.

This project has been mainly financed by the Península Valdés Maganement agency, the Municipality of Puerto Madryn, the national Ministry of Culture, the National Research Council (CONICET), the Punta Delgada Lodge, and the National Geographic-Waitt Foundation.

Selected publications on this project:
ELKIN, D. y C. MURRAY. 2008. Arqueología subacuática en Chubut y Santa Cruz. En: I. Cruz y S. Caracotche (eds.), Arqueología de la Costa Patagónica, perspectivas para la conservación, pp. 109-125. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral. Río Gallegos. ISBN-13: 978-978-1242-07-8

GUTIÉRREZ, G. y D. ELKIN. 2010. Barcos a vapor en la Patagonia. Primeras aproximaciones al naufragio del Presidente Roca (Península Valdés, Chubut). R. Bárcena y H. Chiavazza, editores. Arqueología Argentina en el Bicentenario de la Revolución de Mayo. VII Congreso Nacional de Arqueología Argentina. Tomo V: 2039-2044. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza. ISBN: 978-987-9126-88-2

MURRAY, C., M. GROSSO, D. ELKIN, F. CORONATO, H. DE ROSA, MARÍA A. CASTRO, R. BASTIDA y N. CIARLO. 2009. Un sitio costero vulnerable: el naufragio de "Bahía Galenses" (Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina). En: Arqueología de la Patagonia. Una mirada desde el último confín, editado por M. Salemme, F. Santiago, M. Alvarez, E. Piana, M. Váquez y E.Mansur, Tomo 2: 1093-1108. Editorial Utopías, Ushuaia.


Previous  Next