Obermaier and the Construction of the Spanish Paleolithic: A View from the 21st Century

(EN) This paper analyses the work of Hugo Obermaier on the Spanish Paleolithic from epistemological and theoretical perspectives. As almost a century has elapsed since he began his work, this is a good moment to review his achievements. We highlight the way he was influenced by ideological issues and the role played by successive political events in the construction and deconstruction of his theories. We also examine the scientific and social context of Obermaier’s work. \nFrom our perspective at the beginning of the 21st century we put forward our own ideas regarding some of the issues contained in Obermaier’s writings. With the aid of three examples, we argue that some elements could again be valid today while others even though not sufficiently verified were substituted by others that succeeded thanks, basically, to political opportunism.