This work provides a critical, reflexive panorama of the way archaeological pottery studies in North-western Argentina were carried out throughout the discipline's history (from 16th century onwards). It evaluates their variation or lack of variation in the different sub-areas in the region (Puna, Valleys, Ravines and Western Forests) and analyzes the development of these studies against the theoretical-methodological changes in national archaeology (thus evaluating how and why these studies have changed). It presents the state-of-the-art view of pottery studies in North-western Argentina discussing their theoretical-methodological frameworks and evaluating the features and associated impact of world archaeological thought. In this research many sources were consulted, such as documental sources, background histories of Argentinean archaeology, printed personal reflections of the protagonists, main periodical journals of Argentinean archaeology (from its origins to nowadays), proceedings of all Argentinean archaeology national congresses, seminars, workshops, regional archaeological congresses proceedings, and proceedings of the International Congresses of Americanists held in Argentina, as well as Argentinean researchers' papers presented in World Archaeological Congresses and in Spanish publications of the kind (to assess the impact of Argentinean archaeology in Spain), and various Ph.D. and Undergraduate Theses in Argentina. Different specialized conferences were considered and supplemented with interviews to Argentinean and Latino-American archaeologists. References to such documental sources are included, compiling a bibliographic corpus of general Argentinean archaeology.