﻿588 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  to 
  historic 
  times, 
  so 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  sites 
  have 
  unusually 
  complete 
  

   records 
  of 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  continuous 
  occupation. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  southern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  area, 
  the 
  desert 
  Coast 
  is 
  fringed 
  by 
  

   a 
  belt 
  of 
  vegetation 
  which 
  increases 
  in 
  width 
  to 
  the 
  south. 
  This 
  

   vegetation 
  is 
  sufficient 
  to 
  support 
  a 
  limited 
  number 
  of 
  guanacos, 
  so 
  

   that 
  nonagricultural 
  people 
  could 
  supplement 
  sea 
  food 
  with 
  land 
  game 
  

   in 
  an 
  increasing 
  degree 
  southward. 
  The 
  water 
  supply, 
  too, 
  is 
  more 
  

   generally 
  distributed 
  and 
  is 
  not 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  major 
  drainage 
  sys- 
  

   tems. 
  The 
  preferred 
  locations 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  were 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   north, 
  but 
  one 
  sees 
  more 
  small 
  camps, 
  while 
  the 
  principal 
  ones 
  have 
  

   smaller 
  deposits 
  of 
  refuse. 
  In 
  further 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  North 
  Coast 
  

   and 
  the 
  inland 
  desert, 
  perishable 
  items 
  are 
  lacking 
  from 
  the 
  deposits 
  

   and 
  graves. 
  Agriculture 
  was 
  still 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  drainage 
  systems, 
  

   for 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  south 
  of 
  Coquimbo 
  that 
  even 
  such 
  modern 
  crops 
  as 
  

   wheat 
  can 
  be 
  raised 
  on 
  unirrigated 
  land. 
  

  

  Areas 
  of 
  sparse 
  vegetation 
  border 
  the 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  

   desert 
  and 
  lie 
  on 
  the 
  flanks 
  of 
  the 
  Cordillera. 
  Portions 
  have 
  been 
  

   farmed 
  by 
  the 
  Indians. 
  Except 
  for 
  the 
  agricultural 
  period, 
  little 
  is 
  

   known 
  of 
  the 
  archeological 
  sequences. 
  

  

  ARCHEOLOGY 
  

  

  Although 
  archeological 
  material 
  has 
  been 
  gathered 
  in 
  North 
  Chile 
  

   for 
  many 
  years, 
  serious 
  investigation 
  has 
  been 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  work 
  

   of 
  Latcham 
  and 
  Uhle. 
  Both 
  worked 
  principally 
  in 
  the 
  cemeteries. 
  

   Recent 
  work 
  has 
  secured 
  additional 
  data 
  from 
  the 
  midden 
  deposits 
  of 
  

   the 
  Coast, 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  American 
  

   Museum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History 
  (Bird, 
  1943). 
  In 
  some 
  respects, 
  the 
  

   conclusions 
  reached 
  differ 
  from 
  those 
  formulated 
  after 
  the 
  earlier 
  

   investigations. 
  (See 
  fig. 
  49.) 
  

  

  First 
  preagricultural 
  period. 
  — 
  Arica, 
  Pisagua, 
  and 
  Taltal 
  middens 
  

   show 
  a 
  common 
  culture 
  at 
  the 
  bottom. 
  This 
  is 
  characterized 
  by 
  the 
  

   use 
  of 
  shell 
  fishhooks; 
  composite 
  fishhooks, 
  consisting 
  of 
  weights 
  of 
  

   either 
  stone, 
  shell, 
  or 
  bone 
  to 
  which 
  are 
  lashed 
  bone 
  barbs 
  (pi. 
  127, 
  a) 
  1 
  ; 
  

   harpoons 
  for 
  sea 
  mammals 
  with 
  detachable 
  forepieces 
  fitted 
  with 
  bone 
  

   barbs 
  and 
  stone 
  points 
  of 
  a 
  simple 
  double-ended 
  form 
  (pi. 
  123, 
  m) 
  ; 
  and 
  

   mortarlike 
  lava 
  bowls 
  (pi. 
  127, 
  6). 
  With 
  these 
  are 
  ordinary 
  stone 
  

   sidescrapers, 
  both 
  single- 
  and 
  double-edged, 
  and 
  coarse 
  percussion- 
  

  

  1 
  Explanation 
  of 
  Plate 
  127: 
  

  

  Prehistoric 
  artifacts 
  from 
  North 
  Chile, 
  a, 
  Composite 
  fishhook 
  with 
  stone 
  weight 
  and 
  bone 
  point 
  of 
  

   the 
  "shell 
  fishhook 
  period," 
  from 
  La 
  Lisera, 
  Arica. 
  (Length 
  ty£ 
  inches 
  (10.5cm.).) 
  (Courtesy 
  Museum 
  

   of 
  the 
  American 
  Indian, 
  Heye 
  Foundation.) 
  b, 
  Lava 
  bowl 
  of 
  the 
  "shell 
  fishhook 
  period." 
  These 
  bowls 
  

   continue 
  into 
  the 
  second 
  pre-pottery 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  region. 
  From 
  Tiltil, 
  near 
  Valparaiso. 
  (Diameter 
  7H 
  

   inches 
  (18 
  cm.) 
  .) 
  (Courtesy 
  the 
  Convento 
  de 
  las 
  Mercedes, 
  Santiago.) 
  c, 
  Basketry 
  hat 
  covered 
  by 
  feather 
  

   plume. 
  Colors 
  of 
  the 
  basket 
  are 
  black, 
  white, 
  red, 
  khaki, 
  and 
  tan. 
  The 
  feathers 
  are 
  loosely 
  stitched 
  to- 
  

   gether 
  and 
  sewed 
  to 
  a 
  cord 
  passing 
  through 
  a 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  top. 
  From 
  a 
  mummy 
  at 
  Caleta 
  Vitor 
  (ca. 
  1578) 
  . 
  

   d, 
  Bask 
  etry 
  hat 
  in 
  colors 
  of 
  red, 
  white, 
  blue, 
  tan, 
  and 
  green. 
  The 
  rhea 
  feather 
  plume, 
  now 
  incomplete, 
  may 
  

   originally 
  have 
  drooped 
  down 
  about 
  the 
  hat. 
  From 
  near 
  Pica. 
  (Height, 
  exclusive 
  of 
  plume: 
  5 
  inches 
  

   (12.7 
  cm.).) 
  (Courtesy 
  American 
  Museum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History.) 
  

  

  