Primeras arqueólogas profesionales en Uruguay dentro una trama intergeneracional: trayectorias, legados y aprendizajes

Focusing on the presentation of the first two female graduates of archaeology in Uruguay, Nelsys Fusco y Mónica Sans, this paper presents the history and main results of research on women in Uruguayan archaeology. The article was elaborated based on the presentation for the Seminar “Archaeologists of South America. Stories of resilience” coordinated by Carito Tavera Medina and Margarita Díaz-Andreu. The research methodology is based on the analysis of interviews and literature and other documentation pertaining to these women. From these two lines of evidence, a database was created with records for each of the pioneers, which allowed us to systematize, compare, and relate the trajectories and participation of these women in the discipline, in which we highlight their achievements and progress for national archeology. This search implies a political positioning, as a tool to highlight the inequality and marginalization of women in history within the academy as well as in the construction of narratives about the past. In these efforts, we are nourished by intergenerational solidarity and dialogue, without which it would be impossible to move forward and contribute a different perspective to the construction of our discipline.