﻿38 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  their 
  southern 
  geographical 
  location. 
  Culturally, 
  the 
  Araucanians 
  

   are 
  easily 
  distinguished 
  from 
  other 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  Southern 
  Andes, 
  

   particularly 
  in 
  -pre-Inca 
  times. 
  All 
  tribes 
  of 
  this 
  general 
  area, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  show 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  numerous 
  contacts 
  with 
  the 
  hunters 
  of 
  the 
  

   Argentine 
  Pampas, 
  especially 
  in 
  their 
  emphasis 
  on 
  hunting, 
  their 
  

   extensive 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow, 
  and 
  their 
  loose 
  political 
  organi- 
  

   zation. 
  In 
  the 
  following 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  terrain 
  and 
  the 
  cultural 
  

   patterns, 
  the 
  Araucanians 
  are 
  kept 
  distinct 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  tribes 
  in 
  

   the 
  division 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  Southern 
  Andes. 
  See 
  this 
  volume, 
  pp. 
  

  

  687-760. 
  

  

  THE 
  DIAGUITA-ATACAMEftO 
  

  

  THE 
  ENVIRONMENT 
  

  

  The 
  mountain 
  system 
  of 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Cordillera 
  of 
  Bolivia 
  extends 
  

   into 
  the 
  northwestern 
  part 
  of 
  Argentina. 
  The 
  physical 
  features 
  are 
  

   much 
  the 
  same, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  high 
  punas, 
  dry 
  intermont 
  basins, 
  and 
  

   high 
  peaks 
  which 
  rise 
  above 
  the 
  snow 
  line. 
  Although 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  

   region 
  is 
  arid, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  basins 
  have 
  streams 
  which 
  supply 
  sufficient 
  

   water 
  for 
  agriculture, 
  at 
  least 
  with 
  irrigation, 
  and 
  are 
  surrounded 
  by 
  

   a 
  puna 
  suitable 
  for 
  grazing. 
  The 
  Andean 
  pattern 
  of 
  intensive 
  agri- 
  

   culture 
  was 
  well 
  established 
  in 
  these 
  sections. 
  Elsewhere 
  in 
  Argen- 
  

   tina, 
  the 
  Andean 
  peoples 
  made 
  little 
  headway 
  against 
  the 
  fierce 
  

   nomadic 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  Chaco, 
  the 
  Pampas, 
  and 
  Patagonia. 
  The 
  grass- 
  

   covered 
  Pampas, 
  today 
  the 
  richest 
  agricultural 
  and 
  grazing 
  district 
  

   of 
  South 
  America, 
  were 
  not 
  adaptable 
  to 
  cultivation 
  with 
  Indian 
  

   techniques. 
  In 
  the 
  Highlands, 
  the 
  principal 
  centers 
  of 
  population 
  

   concentration 
  were, 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south: 
  Jujuy 
  and 
  Salta, 
  Tucuman, 
  

   Santiago 
  del 
  Estero, 
  Catamarca, 
  La 
  Kioja, 
  San 
  Juan, 
  Mendoza, 
  and 
  

   C6rdoba. 
  

  

  Archeological 
  finds 
  demonstrate 
  that 
  all 
  these 
  centers 
  were 
  occu- 
  

   pied 
  by 
  reasonably 
  advanced 
  cultures, 
  typified 
  by 
  villages 
  of 
  rough 
  

   stone 
  construction, 
  agriculture, 
  ceramics 
  of 
  high 
  quality, 
  skillful 
  met- 
  

   allurgy, 
  and 
  political 
  unification. 
  These 
  Indian 
  cultures 
  have 
  long 
  

   since 
  disappeared, 
  but 
  historical 
  references 
  list 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  tribes. 
  The 
  basins 
  of 
  Jujuy 
  and 
  Salta 
  were 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  

   Atacameno, 
  who 
  had 
  also 
  spread 
  across 
  the 
  Puna 
  of 
  Atacama 
  into 
  

   North 
  Chile. 
  To 
  the 
  south, 
  in 
  the 
  basins 
  of 
  Tucuman, 
  Catamarca, 
  

   San 
  Juan, 
  and 
  La 
  Rioja, 
  were 
  the 
  Diaguita 
  (or 
  Calchaqui), 
  and 
  the 
  

   archeological 
  evidence 
  points 
  to 
  a 
  much 
  wider 
  distribution 
  of 
  these 
  

   tribes. 
  The 
  Lule 
  lived 
  around 
  Santiago 
  del 
  Estero, 
  and 
  the 
  Come- 
  

   chigon 
  occupied 
  the 
  basins 
  of 
  Cdrdoba 
  and 
  San 
  Luis. 
  The 
  Huarpe, 
  

   an 
  Araucanian-sjie&kmg 
  group, 
  migrated 
  from 
  Chile 
  to 
  occupy 
  the 
  

   Mendoza 
  region 
  or 
  were 
  Araucanized 
  through 
  influence 
  from 
  Chile. 
  

   (See 
  Handbook, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  p. 
  169.) 
  

  

  In 
  North 
  Chile, 
  the 
  Atacama 
  Desert 
  extends 
  roughly 
  from 
  the 
  

   Peruvian 
  border 
  to 
  the 
  Rio 
  Copiap6. 
  The 
  Atacama, 
  the 
  most 
  arid 
  

   desert 
  in 
  all 
  of 
  South 
  America, 
  is 
  crossed 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  Rio 
  Loa, 
  and 
  

  

  