In the Footsteps of Stig Rydén: Research and Fieldwork Report on La Candelaria

During the period 1920--30, there was a certain interest in north-westem Argentina's ar­chaeology and ethnography at Etnografiska Museet. This interest had its roots in the so ­called "Expedition Chaco-Cordillera" led by Erland Nordenskiöld in 1901-1902. In 1932, Alfred Metraux visited Etnografiska Museet and inspired, among others, Stig Ryden, one of Erland Nordenskiöld's students. In the same year, Ryden went to Argentina and, to­ gether with Alfred Metraux and Rodolfo Schreiter, worked in the La Candelaria area. This work resulted in an archaeological collection split into three parts, one of which is today at Etnografiska Museet with the collection number I 933.15.

In 1998, the collection again came into focus within the framework of a digitalisation project and we, as archaeologist and conservator, were involved in work on the material. During this work, a lot of questions were raised and this led to the desire to amplify our knowledge and comprehension of the La Candelaria culture. The material was examined from different angles and methods, this was the beginning of close interdisciplinary work. With our work at the Museum as the starting point, we went to La Candelaria in October 1999 to visit the places excavated by Stig Ryden in 1932. In this article, we want to present the results of our work at the Museum on the collec­tion, in comparison with the fieldwork results.