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How to connect rock art with the social practices developed around it along time? Trying to answer this question, in this paper we propose a method to link three different approaches that share the same stratigraphic principle: the excavation of the cave's floor sediments, the confection of a Harris' matrix of the painting process of one of the panels with rock art; and the study and further chemical analysis (SEM-EDS and Raman) of micro samples taken from the figures painted and the rock underlying. The potential of every single approach is multiplied by the interconnection given by the discovery of small layers of carbonization in the cave's walls as a result of several combustion events (hearths) done inside the cave. It must be highlighted, that this crucial information was obtained by using a novel methodology previously developed by the group of authors (Tascon et al., 2016). It allowed us to identify and chemically characterize superficial as well as underlying soot layers. Besides, the combination of this piece of information with other archeological evidences was vital to obtain a holistic view of the historical process developed at the caves of Oyola's archeological site, in the Argentinean northwest. Despite this is a case of study, the potentialities of this methodology can be spread out into other shelters with similar characteristics. Fil: Gheco, Lucas Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Catamarca. Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Catamarca; Argentina Fil: Gastaldi, Marcos Roman. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Antropología de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Instituto de Antropología de Córdoba; Argentina Fil: Marte, Fernando Daniel. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones sobre el Patrimonio Cultural; Argentina Fil: Quesada, Marcos Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Catamarca. Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Catamarca; Argentina Fil: Tascon, Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones sobre el Patrimonio Cultural; Argentina Fil: Mastrangelo, Noemi Elisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones sobre el Patrimonio Cultural; Argentina

Samples of prehispanic rock art from Oyola's archaeological site, near the city of Catamarca, Argentina have been analyzed using micro-Raman spectroscopy, SEM-EDS and BSD, and optical microscopy. These samples are representative of diverse figures and non-painted surface of one of the caves at the site: Oyola 7. The pigments employed in the rock art were fully characterized. The red colors are confirmed to be red ochre (hematite) and clay. White areas of the painting have been identified as gypsum whereas black pigment is attributed to graphite. In addition, it was demonstrated that all the samples analyzed, including underlying strata, contain large amounts of calcium oxalate as the mineral whewellite. Because of the distribution along the sample, it was conclude that the presence of this compound is due to biodeterioration produced by microorganisms, fungi, algae or lichens. Moreover, a methodology to differentiate black painting layers from carbon deposition layers from bonfires and to characterize them is presented. These results have a great impact in both chemical and archaeological sciences because allow an interdisciplinary approach bringing relevant information about relative and absolute dating. Finally, the information collected with this methodology establish a sound basis to develop complementary studies between the wall and painting stratigraphies with archaeological excavations resulting in a new and fundamental tool henceforth. Fil: Tascon, Marcos. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones sobre el Patrimonio Cultural; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Mastrangelo, Noemi Elisa. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones sobre el Patrimonio Cultural; Argentina Fil: Gheco, Lucas Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Catamarca. Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Catamarca; Argentina Fil: Gastaldi, Marcos Roman. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Antropología de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Instituto de Antropología de Córdoba; Argentina Fil: Quesada, Marcos Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Catamarca. Universidad Nacional de Catamarca. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Catamarca; Argentina Fil: Marte, Fernando Daniel. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones sobre el Patrimonio Cultural; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina