Mauricio Uribe

• Magister
• Professor (Associate) at University of Chile

En este artículo presentamos una introducción al dossier dedicado a la memoria de Victoria Castro Rojas (1944-2022), destacando su legado en el contexto de las discusiones nacionales e internacionales sobre el aporte de las mujeres al desarrollo científico, especialmente de la arqueología y la antropología chilenas y latinoamericanas. Destacamos la...

Papers accepted for the Symposium REPENSAR LA TECNOLOGIA EN LAS ARQUEOLOGIAS SUDAMERICANAS at XI TAAS, Huaraz-Perú, 2024 - Coordination Edwin de La Roca Silva, Tatiane de Souza and Antonio Perez.

Fecha de presentación: 4 de mayo de 2022 Fecha de aceptación: 7 de octubre de 2022 Resumen Este artículo pretende ensamblar registros arqueológicos, etnográficos y etnohistóricos en sintonía con explicaciones andinas que se despliegan en torno a paisajes del Desierto de Atacama, tomando como referencia al sitio arqueológico Iluga Túmulos que fue ut...

RESUMEN Se discute críticamente la relación directa y absoluta que se ha establecido en los An-des entre desarrollo agrohidráulico, complejidad social y poder centralizado, a partir del levantamiento de evidencias arqueológicas y etnográficas relacionadas con los acondi-cionamientos agrícolas e hidráulicos que se preservan en Pampa Iluga (Tarapacá,...

RESUMEN Se discute críticamente la relación directa y absoluta que se ha establecido en los An-des entre desarrollo agrohidráulico, complejidad social y poder centralizado, a partir del levantamiento de evidencias arqueológicas y etnográficas relacionadas con los acondi-cionamientos agrícolas e hidráulicos que se preservan en Pampa Iluga (Tarapacá,...

Se describe el hallazgo de una vértebra de corvina (Cilus gilberti) que conserva inserta la punta del arpón con la cual fue cazada, para discutir la presencia de recursos marítimos en un complejo sitio arqueológico ubicado en la Pampa del Tamarugal, a 70 km tierra adentro de la línea de costa. La vértebra fue hallada en la superficie de T022, una f...

El sitio Iluga Túmulos (900 a.C.-1600 d.C.), región de Tarapacá, abarca 72 hectáreas de sectores públicos y domésticos asociados a campos de cultivo y sistemas de riego, en el que se hallaron 122 túmulos y 98 recintos con y sin arquitectura. Este sitio posee un registro arqueológico sustancial, donde destacan sus conjuntos líticos. Por primera vez,...

Food production is one of the most significant achievements in Andean history. The domestication of plants and animals presented an enormous challenge, relating to changing technologies, settlement patterns, and social organization. This paper aims to assess Atacama Desert population dynamics and their relationship to the domestication of plants an...

Physical violence and social conflict have been widely studied in the ancient societies of the Andes. However, studies about violence are scarce for the Formative period of northern Chile (1000 BC–AD 900). Evidence from these investigations is generally interpreted as interpersonal violence, whose protagonists are mostly men. Here, we present the c...

Se analizan los cambios en la gestión del excedente y la producción agrícola generados por la integración de los Valles Occidentales al Tawantinsuyu, a partir del análisis de la infraestructura de almacenamiento en tres asentamientos de los valles de Lluta y Azapa. Mediante el estudio de las técnicas constructivas, la organización espacial, los con...

Because camelids today are found almost exclusively in the South American highlands (puna), archaeologists originally assumed that they largely inhabited that ecosystem in pre-Colonial times (Murra 1972; Núñez 1984; Núñez and Dillehay [1978] 1995). However, we now know that lowland camelid herds were either killed by Spanish conquerors or died from...

Faunal remains from archaeological sites worldwide, especially feces and regurgitated pellets, are usually subjected to paleoparasitological examination, allowing the identification of past animal parasites. In this study, we analyzed 10 samples of South American camelid dung, which played an important role for the ancient human groups in the South...

Compilation of 1003 radiocarbon dates of archaeological sites located in the Northern Atacama Desert, South-Central Andes, and published between 1963 and 2021. To see associated references: https://data.mendeley.com/drafts/5772rx4df8

Near-surface geophysical techniques are useful for the characterization of archaeological areas because of their ability to rapidly cover wide extensions and obtain high-resolution data to identify the location for archaeological excavations. However, in hyperarid environments usual geophysical techniques may fail to obtain the expected results due...

The analysis of archaeological ceramics has rapidly evolved over the last decades by the application of new analytical techniques. An emerging analytical proposal to fully characterise archaeological ceramics using automated SEM mineralogy is presented. A case study is provided of sets of ceramics from the San Pedro de Atacama oases in the Atacama...

En el marco de un proyecto de investigación en curso, se presenta un estudio de análisis espacial mediante el uso de sistemas de información geográfica (SIG), el que integra los principales asentamientos del Formativo Temprano con las evidencias nuevas registradas en las prospecciones realizadas a lo largo de la quebrada de Guatacondo. De esta mane...

This article examines the social implications of pottery circulation in the southern Andes during the Late pre-Hispanic periods (ca. A.D. 1000–1550). In particular, its goal is to understand the role of Yavi-Chicha pottery in the dynamics of interaction between two regions: the Chicha valleys in the border of Bolivia and Argentina and the Atacama i...

Paleoparasitological studies have provided insights into ancient parasite occurrence and its relationship to the health, lifestyle, and cultural practices of past populations. We analyzed 26 human coprolites and digestive tract contents, most of them contained in mummified human bodies, from coastal and inland archaeological sites in the Atacama De...

In this paper we propose explanatory hypotheses about the sexual politics that were from time to time implemented in the configuration of the Pampa del Tamarugal formative community, with the aim to contribute to the archaeological study of social reproduction. The bioanthropological collections of the Tarapacá 40 Cemetery underwent an osteological...

We performed a histological and quantitative study of iron in archaeological maize seeds from prehispanic times recovered from Tarapacá, Atacama Desert. Also, we examined iron distribution changes at the cell level in embryos from ancient versus new varieties of maize. Our results show a progressive decrease in iron concentration from the oldest ma...

Resumen El período Formativo en Tarapacá, norte de Chile, se ha concebido tradicionalmente bajo el paradigma del Neolítico, entendiendo el proceso de complejización social, económica y política como consecuencia del apogeo agrícola del núcleo andino. Sin embargo, investigaciones recientes han aportado con nuevos tipos de evidencias y una mayor div...

Este trabajo se centra en las prácticas de memoria según tiempos y espacios heterogéneos que son articulados a partir de contextos históricos y contingentes. Específicamente, se relevan las diferentes trayectorias locales en torno a luchas concretas llevadas a cabo por las comunidades andinas en el territorio de Camiña. Nuestra exposición intenta a...

Quillagua es un pequeño oasis junto al río Loa. La etnohistoria registra la convivencia de poblaciones indígenas de distinta tradición cultural. Picas tenían derechos territoriales hacia abajo de un poste de madera pintado y cepillado, mientras Atacamas hacia arriba. Estas categorías no eran geográficas sino indicaciones de una organización social...

Late Pleistocene-Holocene history of human and environment relationships in the Atacam Desert core thought for teenagers and young adults. Simple language, full of illustrations and guided by two amazing hosts, Gecko and Zöe.

The archaeological record shows that large pre-Inca agricultural systems supported settlements for centuries around the ravines and oases of northern Chile’s hyperarid Atacama Desert. This raises questions about how such productivity was achieved and sustained, and its social implications. Using isotopic data of well-preserved ancient plant remains...

In one of the most arid places on Earth, the Atacama Desert in northern Chile (18–21° S), pre‐Hispanic cultures developed different types of tillage and irrigation systems in the Guatacondo Ravine. Their agrarian production, based on a summer precipitation regime, enabled the formative villages of Ramaditas (2300–2600 years BP) and Guatacondo (2400...

A partir de nuestras investigaciones iniciales afirmamos que el Formativo en Tarapacá se había construido bajo el paradigma del Neolítico europeo, así que nos atrevimos a cuestionar esta perspectiva que suponía la complejidad social y la vida aldeana como resultado directo y exclusivo del apogeo agrícola y el advenimiento de exitosos grupos portado...

Se presenta el sitio Iluga Túmulos de la región de Tarapacá, Chile. El sitio se localiza en Pampa Iluga, al sur del Cerro Unitas donde se dispone el geoglifo Gigante de Tarapacá y al oeste de la quebrada de Tarapacá. Se asocia a miles de hectáreas de campos de cultivo y sistemas de irrigación, vinculados a un notable complejo de túmulos y arquitect...

El estudio petrográfico mediante QEMSCAN de fragmentos cerámicos de la Región de Tarapacá, pertenecientes al Período Formativo Temprano (900 a.C.-200 d.C.), evidencia distintos orígenes mineralógicos del material cerámico, ya sea por producción local, circulación o intercambio de alfarería en el norte de Chile. En Guatacondo, la morfología, caracte...

This work collects the experience developed by a group of researchers in set with an Andean Community in the northern Chile along mutual and fluent relations, those that have spent to lean diverse initiatives like the one of this heritage Project that is born of the interest of the own Community for putting in value and install a circuit of visitat...

En este trabajo se describen las relaciones que las sociedades humanas establecieron con su entorno durante el período Formativo (3000-1000 aP) en la Pampa del Tamarugal, Desierto de Atacama, desde una perspectiva teórico-metodológica que pone el acento en el potencial del registro ecofactual. Éste, al mediar entre lo cultural y lo ambiental, propo...

Este libro compilatorio resulta una excelente iniciativa, pues entrega una perspectiva general de la historia de la investigación arqueológica e histórica del oasis de Quillagua, desde sus inicios a fines del siglo XIX hasta los últimos estudios a comienzos del siglo XXI. A través de una selección de 15 artículos se dan a conocer los distintos equi...

Este estudio petrográfico de 23 láminas delgadas de cerámica de estilo Inca Colonial, Etnográfica Colonial y Etnográfica Reciente de cinco pueblos de la Marka Isluga y uno de la Marka Cariquima permitió establecer la primera base de datos composicionales para esta parte del altiplano del norte de Chile. A pesar de presentar composiciones piroclásti...

The Inca Empire reorganized conquered populations in different jurisdictions imposing the decimal system over local chieftainships or curacazgos, creating new provinces or administrative units where the local authorities lost, maintained or amplified their regional power. The system of encomiendas implemented by early Hispanic conquerors instrument...

Estudiamos el imperialismo incaico en el contexto de las formaciones socioterritoriales del Colesuyu durante la época prehispánica tardía (siglos quince y dieciséis). Por su poblamiento con alto grado de multietnicidad e imbricación socioterritorial, además de su heterogeneidad biogeográfica entre el Pacífico y el Altiplano, esta región de los Vall...

Presentación del libro EL OASIS DE QUILLAGUA, LA FRONTERA INTERIOR: TRES SIGLOS DE ARQUEOLOGÍA (DESIERTO DE ATACAMA, NORTE DE CHILE. Compilado por Francisco Gallardo. Primera Edición 2019 Qillqa Ediciones Universidad Católica del Norte http://www.qillqaediciones.cl ISBN: 978956287422-9

Este libro compilatorio resulta una excelente iniciativa, pues entrega una perspectiva general de la historia de la investigación arqueológica e histórica del oasis de Quillagua, desde sus inicios a fines del siglo XIX hasta los últimos estudios a comienzos del siglo XXI. A través de una selección de 15 artículos se dan a conocer los distintos equi...

Este libro compilatorio resulta una excelente iniciativa, pues entrega una perspectiva general de la historia de la investigación arqueológica e histórica del oasis de Quillagua, desde sus inicios a fines del siglo XIX hasta los últimos estudios a comienzos del siglo XXI. A través de una selección de 15 artículos se dan a conocer los distintos equi...

The deep-time dynamics of coupled socio-ecological systems at different spatial scales is viewed as a key framework to understand trends and mechanisms that have led to the Anthropocene. By integrating archeological and paleoenvironmental records, we test the hypothesis that Chilean societies progressively escalated their capacity to shape national...

Este libro compilatorio resulta una excelente iniciativa, pues entrega una perspectiva general de la historia de la investigación arqueológica e histórica del oasis de Quillagua, desde sus inicios a fines del siglo XIX hasta los últimos estudios a comienzos del siglo XXI. A través de una selección de 15 artículos se dan a conocer los distintos equi...

Este libro compilatorio resulta una excelente iniciativa, pues entrega una perspectiva general de la historia de la investigación arqueológica e histórica del oasis de Quillagua, desde sus inicios a fines del siglo XIX hasta los últimos estudios a comienzos del siglo XXI. A través de una selección de 15 artículos se dan a conocer los distintos equi...

Este libro compilatorio resulta una excelente iniciativa, pues entrega una perspectiva general de la historia de la investigación arqueológica e histórica del oasis de Quillagua, desde sus inicios a fines del siglo XIX hasta los últimos estudios a comienzos del siglo XXI. A través de una selección de 15 artículos se dan a conocer los distintos equi...

Beginning around 2500 B.P (ca. A.C. 500) inhabitants of the coastal the Antofagasta region began to be involved in the general northern Chile Formative process. Although their subsistence strategies continued to be based on hunting, fishing, and marine resource collection, some aspects of their material culture showed remarkable changes. In particu...

The evolution of maize (Zea mays L.) is highly controversial given the discrepancies related to the phenotypic and genetic changes suffered by the species, the incidence of human groups and the times in which these changes occurred. Also, morphological and genetic traits of crops are difficult to evaluate in the absence of fossils macro-botanical r...

DNA size range amplification in modern and archaeological samples. (DOCX)

DNA amplification protocol. (DOCX)

SSR data matrix used for this study. (XLSX)

Measures in modern and archeological samples. (DOCX)

Microsatellites used in this study in archeological and modern kernel samples. (DOCX)

aDNA readings and concentrations measured in NANODROP and QUBIT. (DOCX)

DNa size range comparison with other modern and archaeological Andean maize. (DOCX)

Este trabajo expone el estudio arqueológico de dos asentamientos ubicados en Pisagua, norte de Chile. Los sitios Pisagua B y Pisagua N forman parte del Complejo Cultural Pica-Tarapacá, durante los períodos Intermedio Tardío y Tardío (950-1540 d.C.). El análisis arquitectónico y funcional es integrado con registros de otros sitios pertenecientes a c...

Research or cemeteries of Quillagua oasis has yielded interpretations about the cultural historical development or this valley during the Late Intermediate Period (900- 1450DC) and of the ethnic problem raised by the presence or different cultural groups-represented by textile and pottery indicators. Regarding this problem, it is asserted that the...

Arsenic (As) is an abundant trace element in groundwaters in the Andes and arsenicism has been detected in modern as well as ancient populations. As poisoning has been reported in archaic and preceramic mummies from Camarones, in line with high concentrations of As found in them and in the Camarones river. The aim of the present work is to compare...

By William Isbell: In Chapter 10, Carolina Agüero and Mauricio Uribe examine archaeological materials from the Tarapacá region of northern Chile, where objects in Tiwanaku style have been reported since Max Uhle’s excavations early in the twentieth century. The people of this region all participated in the great south Andean interaction sphere, als...

"The Tarapacá Declaration" draws attention to the urgent need to change how human societies have been using water in the Atacama Desert, based on a historical trajectory spanning several millennia. The Declaration, an initiative that summarizes the results of the CONICYT/PIA, Anillo project SOC1405, is oriented towards civil society and various pol...

La circulación de cerámicas en el Norte de Chile ha sido descrita en su mayoría en base a las características macroscópicas – como tipo, estilo, forma, pasta – y funcionales. Se han realizado comparaciones estadísticas de cerámicas para establecer mayor ocurrencia y/o origen cultural (e.g. Le Paige, 1964; Tarragó, 1989; Uribe, 2005; Stovel y Echeni...

Throughout its history, Chilean bioarchaeology has been shaped by the idiosyncrasies of the country’s political and ideological circumstances. In this chapter, we present and explore socio-historical landmarks that have given rise to the origin and development of bioarchaeological research in Chile. Furthermore, we discuss the controversies concern...

El estudio petrográfico mediante QEMSCAN de fragmentos cerámicos de la Región de Tarapacá, pertenecientes al período Formativo Temprano (900 a.C. – 200 d.C.), evidencia distintos origen mineralógico del material cerámico, ya sea por producción local, circulación o intercambio de alfarería en el norte de Chile. En Guatacondo, la morfología, caracter...

Research on the Late Intermediate Period (AD 900–1450) in northern Chile has been strongly influenced by two mobility models: John Murra's classic vertical ecological archipelago model, with highland colonies in the lowlands; and the gyratory mobility model, with pastoralists and their llama caravans controlling trade. The widespread application of...

Este artículo da a conocer el hallazgo de semillas de coca (Erythroxylum sp.) recuperadas en el sitio Tarapacá Viejo, I región de Tarapacá, norte de Chile. Al respecto se discute la posibilidad de que el cultivo de coca se estableciera en los Valles Occidentales, considerando el potencial agrario de las quebradas tarapaqueñas. La información arqueo...

A set of dates, from a summary of excavations and of analyses of associated material from the upper basin of the Azapa valley, around the Tignamar River (2,800 and 3,800 masl), allows us to discuss the occurrence of socio-cultural processes, between cal. 1,500 BC-650 AD, in the Precordillera (foothills) of the far north of Chile. Defined in general...

El "Acta de Tarapacá" constituye un llamado de atención sobre la necesidad de cambiar la manera como las sociedades humanas han estado utilizando el agua en el Desierto de Atacama, mediante una perspectiva histórica a lo largo de milenios. El Acta, una iniciativa que resume los resultados del proyecto CONICYT/PIA Anillo SOC1405 "Cambios Sociales y...

The Formative Period in Tarapacá (Atacama Desert, 1st Region, Chile) is characterized by profound social, economic and ideological changes, as well as technological innovations in pottery and the beginning of agriculture in the Pampa of Tamarugal (Muñoz et al. 2016). This is well represented in the Caserones village (site Cas-1), and its associated...

Pica 8 is a Late Intermediate Period (AD 900–1450) cemetery located in the Atacama Desert. Burials at the site present unexpectedly high variability in13C (–8‰ to –16‰) and 15N (10‰ to 24‰) values in their skeletal tissues, implying highly diverse diets.........

Under the rubric of “connectedness,” we investigate the Inka incorporation of northern Chile (A.D. 1450–1532). Using ceramic diversity as a proxy for economic connections, we argue that the Inka selected Tarapacá Viejo as an administrative center because of its already extensive trade relationships. Applying social network analysis we then evaluate...

Pica 8 is a Late Intermediate Period (AD 900–1450) cemetery located in the Atacama Desert. Burials at the site present unexpectedly high variability in δ13C (–8‰ to –16‰) and δ15N (10‰ to 24‰) values in their skeletal tissues, implying highly diverse diets. There are two possible explanations for this variability: the first is diachronic change in...

Pica 8 is a Late Intermediate Period (AD 900–1450) cemetery located in the Atacama Desert. Burials at the site present unexpectedly high variability in13C (–8‰ to –16‰) and 15N (10‰ to 24‰) values in their skeletal tissues, implying highly diverse diets. There are two possible explanations for this variability: the first is diachronic change in d...

Este trabajo reflexiona en torno a las experiencias conjuntas entre comuneros andinos del norte de Chile e investigadores sociales, los que poseen múltiples perspectivas en torno a similares cuestiones de interés patrimonial. A partir de relaciones sostenidas a largo plazo y en el contexto multicultural contemporáneo, planteamos que las posibilidad...

Prehistoric human groups in the Atacama Desert developed socio-cultural complexities despite living in the world’s driest desert. Different technological adaptations were developed as part of their interactions with variable environments over the last 14,000 years.

Understanding how human societies interacted with environmental changes is a major goal of archaeology and other socio-natural sciences. In this paper, we assess the human-environment interactions in the Pampa del Tamarugal (PDT) basin of the Atacama Desert over the last 13,000 years. By relying on a socio-environmental model that integrates ecosys...

For many years, archaeologists have examined the Tiwanaku phenomenon outside the Titicaca basin. The research has been mainly focused on economical systems, and religious and ecological complementarity between centers and their periphery in the Andes. However, dominated by our conceptions of state and empire, those reconstructions are biased by an...

Se presenta un estudio de las formas sociopolíticas indígenas de Tarapacá mediante un enfoque histórico y arqueológico para el siglo XV y XVI. Se sistematiza la información correspondiente a los habitantes que residían en forma permanente o estacional entre la franja litoral del océano Pacífico, entre el río Loa y Camarones, un extenso territorio c...

This study examines the Phenotypic variability of maize from the Archaeological site Caserones-1, comparing seven characters in samples from two periods: Formative and Late Intermediate (LIP) (cal. 20-1.020 d.C.). Considering the ancient relationship between this species and several human groups in America (ca. 7.500 AP), as well as the general ten...

The investigation of archaeological samples in northern Chile is of importance to understanding the social environment and technological capacity of the various cultures through time. In addition, comparisons between populations areas on local or regional scales provide details as to social dynamics as well as confirming contact and trade. The appl...

Objective The goal of this research is to understand the relevance of diet diversity during the transition to agriculture, in ancient populations from northern Chile, especially considering the significance of marine resources and crops in a lesser degree.MethodsA total of 14 human individuals were sampled from the Tarapacá 40 cemetery. Both bone a...

El principal objetivo de este trabajo es compartir los últimos datos y fechados de radiocarbono obtenidos para el cementerio Tarapacá-40 (norte de Chile). Estos son evaluados y discutidos en relación a recientes estudios de sus restos humanos y del material cultural asociado, en especial de su alfarería, los tejidos y la gran diversidad de ofrendas...

This article provides new radiocarbon dates from mortuary contexts at the Tarapacá-40 cemetery site in northern Chile, in the Tarapacá Valley, and assesses them in regard to the associated human remains and cultural material, especially pottery, textiles, and other objects in some of the tombs. We then assess the implications of these new data for...

Archaeological populations from Northern Chile are currently conceived as populations that developed interchange networks among ecological areas like the coastal, intermediate valleys and the Andean highlands. Natural resources, especially food resources, are then expected to show signals from local ecological areas, in combination to foreign resou...

This edited volume focuses on the funerary archaeology of the Pan-Andean area in the pre-Hispanic period. The contributors examine the treatment of the dead and provide an understanding of how these ancient groups coped with mortality, as well as the ways in which they strove to overcome the effects of death. The contributors also present previousl...

The decline of the Tiwanaku state saw the emergence of two new cultures—Pica-Tarapacá and Atacama—during the Late Intermediate Period in northern Chile. Archeological evidence suggests that both groups practised maize agriculture and pastoralism, but that their interaction zones differed significantly. Marine resources are common at Pica-Tarapacá s...

Archaeological research in the Atacama Desert has recovered evidence of considerable cultural variability. This variability seems to have increased during the Late Intermediate Period (AD 950-1400). The oasis of Quillagua, located at the margins of the Loa River in northern Chile, between the Andes and the coast (70 km from the Pacific ocean), has...

Este artículo se propone narrar el encuentro entre los conocimientos emanados desde las humanidades y las ciencias sociales con los saberes de la comunidad local, materializado a partir del caso de los Libros de la Parroquia de Belén (1763-1859). Se trata de un abordaje sobre los procesos de identidad cultural y memoria social que no solo integra l...

During the Formative period, the area between the Azapa Valley, the coast and the Loa River (northern Chile) saw the construction of ritual/ceremonial tumuli which are reminiscent of structures found in the Bolivian highlands. On the basis of this, various researchers have proposed that these remains signalled the arrival of highland populations in...