The National Institute of Anthropology and Latin American Thought
( es, Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Pensamiento Latinoamericano; INAPL) is an Argentine government agency dedicated to preserving national
cultural
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...
and
archeological
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscape ...
heritage. It is a part of
Argentina's ministry of culture.
The institute has been involved in multiple projects. Among these are the preservation of
rock art
In archaeology, rock art is 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 also ...
sites including
Cueva de las Manos and the study of
HMS Swift (1763)
HMS ''Swift'' was built in 1762 at the shipyard of John Greave in Limehouse, on the banks of the River Thames, and launched in 1763. It was a sloop-of-war in length and was armed with 14 guns and 12 pedreros of pound. It sank along the co ...
, a British ship that sank off the coast of
Puerto Deseado in 1770. It also runs the National Museum of Man in Argentina.
Organization
The INAPL is a government agency of
Argentina, and is part of
Argentina's ministry of culture.
Mission and function
The INAPL is dedicated to preserving national cultural and
archeological
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscape ...
heritage.
As such, the primary focus of the institute is the documentation, preservation, and recovery of
cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...
, be it physical or non-physical.
The institute carries out research in the areas of archaeology,
anthropology, and
folklore.
In keeping with their mission, they also give recommendations and alternative proposals on regional economic and socio-cultural development.
One of the programs of the INAPL is to preserve
rock art
In archaeology, rock art is 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 also ...
sites and save them from deterioration and destruction.
This program has been in place since 1995.
Of these sites,
Cueva de las Manos has been given top priority.
History
The INAPL was created on December 20, 1943.
It was created at the behest of Juan Alfonso Carrizo, who would become the institute's first director.
The institute has had several names over the course of its existence; the first of these was The National Institute of Tradition assigned at its founding in 1943.
In the words of Briones and Guber, the institute was later renamed for political reasons to "the National Institute of Philology and Folklore in 1955, the National Institute of Folkloric Research in 1960, the National Institute of Anthropology in 1964, and
inallythe National Institute of Anthropology and Latin American Thought in 1992."
Current and former projects
Among the institute's current and former projects is the study of
HMS Swift (1763)
HMS ''Swift'' was built in 1762 at the shipyard of John Greave in Limehouse, on the banks of the River Thames, and launched in 1763. It was a sloop-of-war in length and was armed with 14 guns and 12 pedreros of pound. It sank along the co ...
, a British ship that sank off of the coast of
Puerto Deseado in 1770.
The discovery and investigation of the ship was one of the first taken on by the INAPL's newly created
underwater archaeology program in Argentina, which was formed in 1995.
The INAPL, along with the
National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), is also a major sponsor of the DocAnt film festival, the oldest currently-running anthropological film festival in Latin America. The INAPL runs the National Museum of Man in Argentina.
Notable members
* Sandra Analía Guillermo—recipient of the John L. Cotter Award in
Historical Archaeology
See also
* The
National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET)—an Argentine organization that works closely with the INAPL
References
External links
*
Open access publications of the INAPL
Scientific organisations based in Argentina
Government agencies of Argentina
Research councils
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