﻿THE 
  HISTORIC 
  INHABITANTS 
  OF 
  THE 
  

   NORTH 
  CHILEAN 
  COAST 
  

  

  By 
  Junius 
  B. 
  Bird 
  

  

  ABORIGINAL 
  AND 
  MODERN 
  PEOPLES 
  

  

  The 
  term 
  Chango 
  is 
  still 
  used 
  in 
  Chile 
  to 
  designate 
  the 
  poorer 
  ele- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Coast, 
  but 
  the 
  Chango 
  have 
  long 
  

   ceased 
  to 
  exist 
  as 
  an 
  ethnic 
  or 
  cultural 
  group. 
  As 
  the 
  term 
  recurs 
  in 
  

   anthropological 
  literature, 
  generally 
  in 
  brief 
  statements 
  combining 
  

   vague 
  historical 
  references 
  and 
  confused 
  and 
  incomplete 
  archeological 
  

   data, 
  an 
  analysis 
  of 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  these 
  people 
  may 
  be 
  useful. 
  

  

  We 
  know 
  from 
  archeological 
  work 
  that 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  Spanish 
  occupa- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  Chile, 
  beginning 
  in 
  1535, 
  the 
  Coast 
  of 
  the 
  desert 
  area 
  from 
  Arica 
  

   southward 
  was 
  occupied 
  by 
  people 
  with 
  a 
  combined 
  fishing 
  and 
  agri- 
  

   cultural 
  economy. 
  There 
  had 
  been 
  a 
  succession 
  of 
  cultures, 
  each 
  

   somewhat 
  more 
  advanced 
  than 
  the 
  preceding. 
  This 
  succession 
  is 
  most 
  

   clearly 
  traceable 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Coast. 
  The 
  lack 
  of 
  

   arable 
  land 
  precluded 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  large 
  settlements, 
  while 
  

   other 
  factors 
  further 
  delimited 
  the 
  cultural 
  development. 
  The 
  

   Spaniards, 
  seeking 
  either 
  mineral 
  wealth 
  or 
  lands 
  suitable 
  for 
  agricul- 
  

   tural 
  development, 
  found 
  nothing 
  in 
  the 
  possessions 
  of 
  the 
  Coastal 
  

   people 
  to 
  arouse 
  their 
  cupidity 
  or 
  interest, 
  hence 
  the 
  early 
  records 
  are 
  

   devoid 
  of 
  pertinent 
  data. 
  1 
  The 
  baptism 
  of 
  a 
  "Chiango" 
  child 
  from 
  

   Cobija 
  is 
  recorded 
  in 
  1665 
  (Sayago, 
  1874, 
  p. 
  183). 
  In 
  1757, 
  these 
  

   people 
  were 
  warned 
  that 
  if 
  they 
  persisted 
  in 
  their 
  nomadic 
  wanderings 
  

   from 
  Caldera 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  as 
  Paposo 
  they 
  would 
  miss 
  the 
  benefits 
  of 
  

   religion 
  (Sayago, 
  1874, 
  p. 
  190, 
  footnote). 
  In 
  1762, 
  a 
  small 
  company 
  

   of 
  "caballeria" 
  were 
  recruited 
  among 
  the 
  Chango 
  to 
  provide 
  protection 
  

   from 
  the 
  corsairs 
  and 
  smugglers, 
  who 
  were 
  then 
  active 
  (Sayago, 
  1874, 
  

   p. 
  194). 
  

  

  Such 
  vague 
  references 
  convey 
  little 
  concrete 
  information 
  except 
  

   that 
  the 
  Coastal 
  folk 
  were 
  recognized 
  as 
  a 
  small 
  group 
  variously 
  termed 
  

   Chango 
  , 
  Chiango, 
  or 
  Chaonco, 
  with 
  no 
  clue 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  name; 
  

   that 
  they 
  were 
  nomadic, 
  with 
  families 
  ranging 
  along 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  150 
  

  

  1 
  Bowman 
  (1924, 
  p. 
  59), 
  in 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  Chango 
  states: 
  "They 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  early 
  attracted 
  the 
  notice 
  of 
  

   Spanish 
  writers. 
  Lozano 
  Machuca 
  [Juan 
  Lozano 
  de 
  Machuco? 
  Juan 
  Lorenzo 
  Machuca?] 
  stated 
  in 
  1581 
  

   that 
  there 
  were 
  400 
  Uros 
  or 
  Changos 
  Indians, 
  fishers 
  and 
  heathen, 
  in 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Atacama 
  (Cobija)." 
  

  

  595 
  

  

  