Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 76 (4): 613-622, 2003
RESEARCH ARTICLE
The use of historical documents to reconstruct the vegetation of the Llanura de la Travesía
(Argentina) during early nineteenth century
MARÍA DEL ROSARIO PRIETO, PABLO EUGENIO VILLAGRA, NERINA BELÉN LANA & ELENA MARÍA
The Llanura de la Travesía extends in the Mendoza and San Luis provinces between the
Andean piedmont and the Sierras Pampeanas. The goal of this study was to reconstruct the vegetation and soil characteristics of the
Llanura de la Travesía during early 1800s by means of a combinationg of information from several documentary sources. The
reconstruction was based mainly on the reports of Don Faustino Ansay, recorded in 1802 to verify the state of the Camino de la
Travesía or Real (Royal Road) from Corocorto (present Villa de la Paz) to San Luis. This information was complemented with field
notes from other travelers along the road. Our results revealed that plant cover and density increased from west to east, as it is
observed today. However, the absence of Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco in the Ansay´s report, suggests that changes
in the distribution of some tree species have occurred. This study validates the use of documental information to reconstruct past
vegetation and soil characteristics. This information can be used as a valuable tool to detect environmental changes.
environmental history,
Monte desert, reconstruction of vegetation
