Carlos Joaquín Gradin (20 May 1918 – 31 March 2002), also known as Carlos Gradín, was an Argentine

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...

and

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

. He carried out numerous studies in the Patagonian region, and is known for his extensive studies of

Cueva de las Manos Cueva de las Manos ( Spanish for Cave of the Hands or Cave of Hands) is a cave and complex of rock art sites in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, south of the town of Perito Moreno. It is named for the hundreds of paintings of hands s ...

. He was a member of the

National Scientific and Technical Research Council The National Scientific and Technical Research Council (, CONICET) is an Argentina, Argentine Government of Argentina, government agency which directs and co-ordinates most of the scientific and technical research done in List of universities i ...

(CONICET).

Education and career

Gradin was a member of the Institute of Archaeology of the (School of Philosophy and Literature of the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires (, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the second-oldest university in the country, and the largest university of the country by enrollment. Established in 1821 ...

). He was a recognized specialist in Patagonian

rock art In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type al ...

. Gradin became a surveyor and archaeologist, as well as a member of CONICET. His career lasted for over 30 years.

Archaeological work

Gradin carried out numerous studies in the Patagonian region. He was considered by Luis Abel Orquera to have been "the principal authority on indigenous Pampean-Patagonian art."

Work at Cueva de las Manos

Carlos Gradin is known for his extensive studies of

. Gradin and his team's study of cave art in and around Cueva de las Manos formed the most important research on the site. Him and his team began excavating the sites in 1964, which marked the beginning of their 30-year-long study. In his studies, Gradin helped to separate the different stylistic sequences of the cave, and of rock art in

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

as a whole. The importance of his discoveries to the country's natural and cultural heritage resulted in the site being named a

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

(UNESCO)

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

in 1999.

Death and legacy

Carlos J. Gradin was born in 1918 and died in 2002, making him 83 years old at the time of his death. Gradin has an Archaeological Museum named after him in Perito Moreno,

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. As of 2019, the building is still under construction.

References

External links

Museo De Arqueología "Carlos Gradín"
Carlos Gradín" Museum of Archeology(in Spanish)an article covering the new Carlos J. Gradin Museum of Archeology
En Tus Manos... Cueva De Las Manos
(PDF) n Your Hands...Cave of the Hands(in Spanish)a brochure for the new Carlos J. Gradin Museum of Archeology Argentine archaeologists 20th-century archaeologists 21st-century archaeologists Surveyors 1918 births 2002 deaths {{Archaeologist-stub