﻿Vol.2] 
  ANDEAN 
  HIGHLANDS 
  — 
  BENNETT 
  39 
  

  

  this 
  river 
  supports 
  but 
  one 
  important 
  oasis, 
  around 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  

   Calama. 
  The 
  Atacama 
  Desert 
  was 
  not 
  only 
  unsuitable 
  for 
  concen- 
  

   trated 
  settlement 
  but 
  also 
  acted 
  as 
  an 
  effective 
  barrier, 
  cutting 
  off 
  

   Central 
  Chile 
  from 
  much 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  Andean 
  region 
  to 
  the 
  north. 
  

   Small 
  groups 
  of 
  fishers, 
  like 
  the 
  Chango, 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  exist 
  along 
  the 
  

   rugged 
  Coast, 
  and 
  the 
  Atacameno 
  occupied 
  the 
  oasis 
  of 
  Calama 
  and 
  

   utilized 
  the 
  neighboring 
  punas 
  for 
  grazing. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  States 
  of 
  Atacama 
  and 
  Coquimbo, 
  between 
  the 
  Atacama 
  

   Desert 
  and 
  the 
  Central 
  Valley 
  of 
  Chile, 
  larger 
  streams 
  cut 
  their 
  way 
  

   to 
  the 
  Pacific. 
  The 
  valley 
  flats 
  that 
  were 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  support 
  

   agricultural 
  life 
  were 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  Diaguita 
  from 
  Northwest 
  

   Argentina. 
  

  

  Northwest 
  Argentina 
  and 
  North 
  Chile 
  both 
  became 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Inca 
  

   Empire. 
  However, 
  influences 
  from 
  the 
  Central 
  Andes 
  are 
  reflected 
  

   in 
  the 
  archeology 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  Inca 
  Period. 
  The 
  Tiahuanaco 
  

   culture 
  influenced 
  and, 
  in 
  some 
  places, 
  temporarily 
  replaced 
  the 
  local 
  

   cultures. 
  

  

  Western 
  civilization 
  has 
  now 
  largely 
  replaced 
  or 
  absorbed 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   cultures 
  in 
  all 
  of 
  this 
  region. 
  New 
  uses 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  for 
  the 
  land, 
  

   such 
  as 
  cattle 
  grazing, 
  stock 
  breeding, 
  the 
  growing 
  of 
  sugarcane 
  and 
  

   vineyards 
  in 
  Argentina, 
  and 
  the 
  mining 
  of 
  copper 
  and 
  the 
  extraction 
  

   of 
  nitrates 
  in 
  North 
  Chile. 
  

  

  THE 
  DIAGUITA 
  

  

  The 
  Diaguita 
  (or 
  Calchaqui) 
  occupied 
  the 
  States 
  of 
  Tucuman, 
  

   Catamarca, 
  La 
  Rioja, 
  Santiago 
  del 
  Estero, 
  Salta, 
  and 
  San 
  Juan 
  in 
  

   Northwest 
  Argentina, 
  and 
  the 
  States 
  of 
  Atacama 
  and 
  Coquimbo 
  in 
  

   Chile. 
  Their 
  language 
  was 
  called 
  Kakan 
  and 
  differed 
  from 
  both 
  

   Quechua 
  and 
  Aymara. 
  The 
  antiquity 
  of 
  Diaguita 
  culture 
  has 
  not 
  

   been 
  finally 
  determined, 
  although 
  it 
  was 
  definitely 
  pie-Inca 
  and 
  con- 
  

   temporaneous 
  in 
  part 
  with 
  Highland 
  Tiahuanaco. 
  Many 
  of 
  the 
  

   characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  Andean 
  cultures 
  are 
  found. 
  The 
  sub- 
  

   sistence 
  was 
  basically 
  agricultural. 
  The 
  cultivated 
  plants 
  were 
  

   similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Central 
  Andes, 
  and 
  religious 
  ceremonies 
  were 
  

   again 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  agricultural 
  cycle. 
  Granaries, 
  built 
  like 
  

   small 
  houses, 
  were 
  numerous. 
  However, 
  terracing 
  was 
  not 
  common, 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  that 
  agricultural 
  control 
  was 
  as 
  complete 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  

   to 
  the 
  north. 
  Hunting 
  was 
  common, 
  and 
  gathering 
  also, 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  of 
  algarrobo 
  beans, 
  from 
  which 
  a 
  mildly 
  intoxicating 
  beer 
  was 
  

   made. 
  Coca 
  was 
  chewed 
  and 
  tobacco 
  and 
  pariaca 
  were 
  used 
  as 
  

   snuff. 
  Herding 
  of 
  domesticated 
  llamas 
  and 
  alpacas 
  was 
  of 
  great 
  

   importance. 
  

  

  The 
  Diaguita 
  lived 
  in 
  small 
  irregular 
  villages, 
  marked 
  by 
  individual 
  

   house 
  units 
  and 
  streets. 
  Some 
  are 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  called 
  cities. 
  

   The 
  houses 
  were 
  built 
  of 
  adobe 
  or 
  rough 
  stones, 
  sometimes 
  set 
  in 
  mud, 
  

   but 
  no 
  use 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  dressed 
  stone. 
  The 
  walls 
  were 
  supplemented 
  

  

  