Natives of the Central Area The Comechingone of Cordoba built their homes underground. They were tall in stature and the only tribe in all of Argentina with bearded men, so anthropologists believe them to have a different origin to other natives of Argentina. They were not influenced by the Incas, yet they knew how to cultivate corn, beans and pumpkin. They raised llamas and spun the wool to weave garments. They also wove grass baskets that were used as moulds to form ceramics. Their name reportedly imitates their war cry. The Huarpe of Cuyo and Olongasta of La Rioja were settled tribes. They learnt from the Inca how to irrigate the mountain slopes and build the pucara , a stronghold in which to cultivate corn and quinua.

Other groups of the central region included the nomadic Lule and Vilela of Tucuman, both of which adopted the nickname Jurie, the Quechua word for ostrich, owing to their tall and thin stature. The agrarian Tonocote of Santiago del Estero built round huts covered in straw. They celebrated long religious festivities that incorporated an alcoholic drink made from algarrobo fruit and corn. Finally, the Sanavirone, south of Santiago del Estero, lived in large houses with several families together. Their region is characterized by the giant cactus called cardon that they used as a source of wood. None of the groups of the central region exists today.