Victoria Castro

University of Chile · Departamento de Antropología

En este trabajo se presenta una síntesis y discusión sobre la presencia de patologías congénitas y defectos del desarrollo en individuos de diferentes periodos arqueológicos de la costa de la región de Antofagasta, en el norte de Chile, las que se concentran en el esqueleto axial. A pesar de que la muestra analizada presenta un número bajo (n = 6),...

Since the mid‐20th century, the so‐called Great Acceleration (sensu Steffen et al., 2007, https://doi.org/10.1579/0044-7447(2007)36[614:TAAHNO]2.0.CO;2) has amplified processes of ecosystem degradation, extinction of biological species, displacement of local peoples, losses of languages, and cultural diversity. These losses are still underperceived...

Early inhabitants along the hyperarid coastal Atacama Desert in northern Chile developed resilience strategies over 12,000 years, allowing these communities to effectively adapt to this extreme environment, including the impact of giant earthquakes and tsunamis. Here, we provide geoarchaeological evidence revealing a major tsunamigenic earthquake t...

Coastal archaeological communities were exposed to numerous risks associated with living in their liminal environment. Many of the problems faced by these populations have been recorded and interpreted through their skeletal remains, but death by drowning in saltwater is not easy to recognise and as such is invariably either ignored, inferred, or d...

Abstract Mechanisms that reliably and efficiently guide practitioners to find relevant evidence are urgent for conservation decision‐making in Chilean Patagonia. The objective of this study was to systematically collect, characterize, and synthesize the extensive evidence about conservation knowledge in Chilean Patagonia focusing on the impacts of...

In the Central Atacama Desert (22-24 S; henceforth CAD), around 3700 cal yrs BP, human economies begin to transition from relying mostly on hunting and gathering to increasingly incorporating horticulture and pastoralism became more intensive during the Late Intermediate Period (LIP; beginning at ca. 1050 cal yrs BP/900 AD). In this extreme environ...

RESUMEN Ofrecemos antecedentes sobre Chenopodium quinoa Willd. en Chile, desde tiempos prehispánicos has-ta la actualidad y particularmente su uso en diferentes tradiciones locales. Las evidencias consideradas en este artículo comprenden estudios arqueológicos, arqueobotánicos y etnográficos. Esta integración disciplinaria entrega una mirada holíst...

Documento de trabajo de la Mesa de Sitios de Memoria del Colegio de Arqueólogas y Arqueólogos de Chile

The intensive archaeological and biological study of a singular site (Copaca 1) in the arheic coast of Antofagasta, Chile, brings new data that contributes to a deeper understanding of the Middle Archaic Period, its settlement patterns, its funerary practices, and its ways of life. It also provides probable evidence of early navigation.

Contrating the image of desolation and hostility implanted on the Atacama's Intermedíate Depression through the concept of wilderness, the altitudinal transect linking Calama and Cobija stands in the light of historical and archaeological research as a scenario in which different human groups deployed over time various strategies of dwelling and tr...

El estudio intensivo del sitio Copaca 1, al sur de Tocopilla, proporciona antecedentes que permiten profundizar el conocimiento sobre el período Arcaico en la costa arreica de Antofagasta, para una sociedad que vivió de una eficiente adaptación costera, sin recursos complementarios extralocales. Estos nuevos hallazgos enriquecen la secuencia cronol...

Contrating the image of desolation and hostility implanted on the Atacama's Intermediate Depression through the concept of wilderness, the altitudinal transect linking Calama and Cobija stands in the light of historical and archaeological research as a scenario in which different human groups deployed over time various strategies of dwelling and tr...

The article presents the results of a study conducted on an assemblage of archeofaunal remains from the Copaca 1 archeological site, located on the arid coast of Northern Chile. The site corresponds to an extensive shell midden that was used generally as an occupational site and specifically as a funerary one by specialized marine hunteregatherers...

Se presentan los resultados obtenidos de análisis bioarqueológicos realizados en 36 individuos provenientes de 25 sitios prehispá-nicos de la costa de Taltal, los cuales muestran la continuidad en la zona del modo de vida cazador-recolector-pescador, asociado a la explotación y consumo de recursos marinos. Se especifican una serie de actividades qu...

This study presents the results of the bioarchaeological analyses of 36 individuals from the coastal area of Taltal. These results indicate that these individuals had a hunter-gatherer-fisher lifestyle, related to the exploitation and consumption of marine resources. A series of activities performed by these individuals is proposed, based on the pr...

We approach the analysis of the domestic economy of the coastal groups of Cobija, considering hunting, fishing and gathering as dynamic subsistence strategies, with a particular configuration during the late precolumbian periods. We propose the existence of specialized fishermen, dedicated to generating a surplus of fish with help from certain tech...

We identifi ed and analyzed the avian osteofauna Copaca one archaeological site, located in the arid coast of the Second Region of Chile. The sample consisted of 685 fragments taken from nine layers with dating covering a range between 8000-5000 cal. a.p. The results indicate that the assembly of seabirds found on this site currently retains its ra...

In this paper we present results from an interdisciplinary study of a diverse array of documents centered on the mining history of the Taltal-Paposo area and its relation to the social process in this part of the desert coast of northern Chile. We focus on an anthropological-historical perspective spanning from prehistory until the present day. We...

Background/Question/Methods Today, severe losses of biological and cultural diversity associated with rapid global development and homogenization, have triggered recent biocultural conservation efforts to raise awareness about ethical and sustainability implications for preserving the interrelated diversity of life, cultures, and languages within...

Iron oxides have been used extensively in the Americas from the Paleoindian period up to the ethnographic present. But, because archaeological mining sites are extremely rare in this continent, we still know very little about how indigenous groups exploited and processed these minerals. Here we report finds from the San Ramón 15 site, located on th...

La identificación de un manuscrito del siglo XVII que contiene declaraciones sobre procesos de extirpación de idolatrías en los pueblos de Lasana, Caspana y Ayquina, en el río Loa Medio y Superior (Subárea Circumpuneña, II región, Chile), ha permitido analizar algunos ritos agrarios que se consideran de origen prehispánico. Un examen interdisciplin...

John V. Murra helped us understand the scale and achievements of Andean civilization. Here we emphasize the relations between the peoples of the Pacific coast and of the highlands in a region of the Circum-Puna Subarea, in spite of the extreme aridity of the lands that separated them. Different peoples, especially atacamas and coastal groups, took...

John Victor Murra nos enseñó a comprender la dimensión de la percepción y el pensamiento andinos. Destacamos aquí la complementariedad entre costa y tierras altas en un sector de la Subárea Circumpuneña como un logro andino, a pesar de la extrema aridez del desierto que los separaba. Esta movilidad a lo largo de la transecta altitudinal de raíces p...

This paper presents the results of an ongoing project on pre-Hispanic mining and metallurgy in the Taltal and Paposo areas of Antofagasta Region, in coastal northern Chile. We focus on data from the San Ramón 15 site, the first pre-Hispanic iron oxide mine known in Chile, dated from archaic times. The paper proposes that mining activity in northern...

Drawn by the rich pre-Columbian legacy of the region, we studied the prehistoric groups of peoples who have settled in the high canyons of Atacama (above 3000 m), on the western slopes of the South-Central Andes, for the past 30 years. The traditional culture of the present-day indigenous Andean population enabled us to interpret the material remai...

Relationships between the Atacama coast and the highlands arestudied through two examples. Both of them show the miningway of life, as characteristic of the "desert culture" in this areasince the formative prehispanic periods until now. San Bartolo, inthe cordillera, and Cobija, by the sea, are characterized as miningsetdements, part of an intense...

The highlands of Atacama desert, intensely occupied by complex societies, were an attractive point for Tawantinsuyo during the Late period. In the rio Loa region the material record shows different ways of Inka expansionism that probably coincides with diverse strategies of domination and power, and not necessarily responds to different moments. Mo...

Convencidos de la necesidad de incorporar criterios de economía, y controlar la tendencia al consumo y a la explotación de recursos que parece regir nuestra cultura, esta vez reflexionamos en torno a la relación entre arquitectura y medio ambiente en las zonas más secas y calurosas de América. Ámbito de asentamientos precolombinos y las oficinas sa...

Se presentan principios teóricos y metodología aplicados al estudio de una parte del "Camino del Kollau" en la Puna de Atacama, Chile. Se propone el uso de la tradición oral de los pueblos andinos y los estudios toponímicos, todo ello dentro del marco de la teoría de "paisajes culturales". Se dan a conocer los instrumentos creados para el registro...

This paper explores prehispanic roads and paths in the Andean Cordillera of Antofagasta, Chile. It uses ethno-archaeological interpretative systems, such as cultural landscapes and vernacular oral history, as complementary sources for archaeological interpretation. Preliminary results are discussed.

El objetivo del presente trabajo es explorar aspectos ideológicos de los pueblos prehispánicos de los periodos tardíos (900-1500 d.C.) que se asentaron en las quebradas altas de Atacama, en las laderas occidentales de los Andes surandinos, ligados a la tradición del área centro-sur andina. Los sorprendentes aspectos de continuidad cultural que exis...

Drawn by the rich pre-Columbian legacy of the region, we studied the prehistoric groups of peoples who have settled in the high canyons of Atacama (above 3000 m), on the western slopes of the South-Central Andes, for the past 30 years. The traditional culture of the present-day indigenous Andean population enabled us to interpret the material remai...

Historically, the Andean territorial boundary between Regions I and II of Chile has functioned as a link between diverse Andean cultures. Here, we present an ethnobotanical study from this region which indicates that for the consulted flora (146 taxa) we registered 384 common names, with the majority of these being of Aymara-Quechua origin (70%). A...

An ethnobotanical study from the Rio Grande valley and Machuca (in northern Chile's II Region) shows 265 common names and 224 uses for the 131 plant species consulted. Most of the names come from the Spanish language (48%) or are a combination of Spanish and an indigenous term (14%); 7% of the names were quechua and 5% aymara, while 16% of the name...

Rider and mount iconography is common in the rock art of northern Chile but it is little investigated and poorly understood. This paper takes a new approach which focuses on the meaning and context of these equestrian images. It surveys the contexts in which equestrian imagery, particularly that associated with Apostle Santiago, is used and the mea...

El área del Salar de Atacama, Provincia de El Loa, segunda Región de Antofagasta del norte de Chile, es una de las más secas del mundo, correspondiendo al área de máxima penetración del Desierto de Atacama en la costa Pacífica de Sudamérica. En efecto, y en concordancia con la disminución de las lluvias en sentido NW-SE, desde los Andes de Arica (1...

Los antecedentes de la literatura han destacado a la comunidad de Caspana como un ejemplo de interacción de las tradiciones atacameña y altiplánica, en los Andes de la Región de Antofagasta. En este trabajo nos hemos propuesto evaluar esta hipótesis, sobre la base de la nomenclatura botánica, etnoclasificación y utilización de las plantas que manej...

Tradicionalmente, la región del Loa Superior (Figura 1) ha sido vinculada a los desarrollos culturales del desierto o complejos “atacameños” (Latcham 1938; Rydén 1944; Mostny 1949; Pollard 1970; Spahni 1964). No hace mucho, sin embargo, sostuvimos que los ocupantes de Likan (Toconce) –un sitio de chullpa situado en la sección sudoriental de esta re...

The perception of the surrounding environment and use of the flora by the inhabitants of Toconce, a Pre-Altiplanic community in the Andes of northern Chile, were investigated. Six ecological units, which are given the local names of Pampa, Tolar, Medano, Pajonal, Hoyada, and Paniso, are recognized by the people of Toconce on the basis of their diff...

Los objetivos de este trabajo son: (i) evaluar el nivel de conocimiento y uso del medio ambiente natural que tienen los habitantes de la comunidad de Toconce y (ii) comparar esta percepción con los resultados de un análisis científico de la flora y la vegetación del área. La metodología consistió en excursiones de colecta y confección de un muestra...

INTRODUCCIÓN Las comunidades alto andinas han heredado un modo ancestral de comprender su medio ambiente, lo que les permite integrar múltiples facetas de su realidad y experienciar la naturaleza como cultura. En su conceptualización, este mundo está vivo y habitado por fuerzas positivas y negativas. La tierra, las montañas, los ancestros, son sagr...

The people's hummingbird (Sotar Condi). – It is difficult not to see a hummingbird. These birds are silent but very conspicuous, even the smallest of them. Ornithologists know about their ethology and the complex structure of their wings. For thousands of years common people have been fascinated by these birds and, in Pre-Columbian America, there i...