Abstract

We present the preliminary results of the survey of rock representations from the Ruca Ñanco site, composed of three rocky outcrops, located in the mountainous sector, south of Alumine, province of Neuquén, Argentina. Two technical modalities were identified at the site (engraving and painting), whose motifs do not correspond to the Styles proposed for Patagonia, nor to the stylistic tendencies and regional modalities, but rather, similar to styles previously described for the Chilean Araucanía region in the case of painting and shared on both sides of the mountain range for engraving. The use of DStrech made it possible to identify faded motifs and reconstruct the shape and contour of others, proving to be a very useful tool. The presence of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic motifs stands out, some of them forming part of scenes, which allow postulating early contacts with the Spanish settlements in the western sector of the Cordillera, established around the middle of the 16th century.