A distant past, a present heritage: The pre-colonial settlements of Chapecó, Brazil

Abstract

The article presents a critical and synthetic evaluation of the pre-colonial archaeological researches in the geographical limits of the city of Chapecó and region, located in the west of the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. The study area has a long history of archaeological research, including amateur and academic investigations since the first half of the 20th century and through the licensing of engineering works. There is a result, even if partial and general, of the different settlement systems that occupied the region in times before European colonization