Lengua, etnicidad, cultura material: algunas notas sobre el método comparativo

The article discusses correlations between archaeological data and historical, linguistic and ethnic information, and particularly the role of comparative ethnology in the task of identifying human groups according to materiality. Taking into account the dilemmas implicit in the early work of Alfred Métraux, and specifically the construction of the so-called “Tupí-Guaraní Civilization”, the ethnic metonymies or synecdoches that establish collective identifications by cultural traits are critically discussed. Finally, an analytic alternative to establish comparative correlations in a more fruitful way is proposed.