María Natividad Fuertes Prieto

María Natividad Fuertes Prieto is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, University of León, Spain. Her academic career centers on prehistoric archaeology with specialized expertise in Mesolithic and Paleolithic periods of the Iberian Peninsula, particularly the Cantabrian region. She actively contributes to archaeological research and education within Spain's historical studies framework.

Her educational foundation includes:

• Doctorate from the University of León (2004) with thesis "Estudio tecnológico de las industrias líticas del Paleolítico Superior y del Epipaleolítico de la Cuenca del Duero" supervised by Dr. Federico Bernaldo de Quirós Guidotti

Dr. Fuertes Prieto's research examines lithic technology, raw material procurement systems, and human mobility patterns through meticulous analysis of shell middens and cave sites. Her work integrates geological contexts to reconstruct hunter-gatherer adaptations, with special focus on chert and radiolarite resources in the Cantabrian Mountains. Recent publications demonstrate innovative methodological approaches including chaînes opératoires analysis and microregional studies of prehistoric territories.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2021-2025) reveals consistent thematic concentration on Mesolithic lithic assemblages across northern Iberia. Key research sites include El Mazo shell midden, La Uña Cave, and the Picos de Europa foothills, with emerging work extending into medieval zooarchaeology. Her scholarship shows strong regional focus on León province while contributing to broader Iberian Peninsula syntheses, particularly regarding technological transitions and resource exploitation strategies during the Mesolithic.

Dr. Fuertes Prieto supervises academic theses in prehistoric archaeology at the University of León, guiding students in lithic analysis and field methodology. While specific grant details aren't documented in available materials, her sustained publication output suggests ongoing research project involvement.

She leads the HIST-ARQ Historia y Arqueología research group and maintains connections with the Q-GEO GEOLOGÍA AMBIENTAL, CUATERNARIO Y GEODIVERSIDAD group, reflecting her interdisciplinary integration of archaeological, geological, and environmental approaches to studying Iberian prehistory.