﻿600 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  recorded. 
  These 
  conditions 
  have 
  made 
  the 
  Atacama 
  Desert 
  famous 
  

   as 
  the 
  best 
  source 
  of 
  natural 
  nitrate 
  in 
  the 
  world. 
  There 
  are, 
  however, 
  

   a 
  few 
  inhabitable 
  oases, 
  watered 
  by 
  temporary 
  mountain 
  streams 
  or 
  

   underground 
  water 
  seepage. 
  The 
  largest 
  are 
  at 
  Tacna, 
  Arica, 
  and 
  

   Calama. 
  Even 
  these 
  are 
  not 
  very 
  extensive, 
  as 
  the 
  Calama 
  oasis 
  in 
  

   the 
  Rfo 
  Loa 
  illustrates. 
  It 
  consists 
  of 
  only 
  some 
  12 
  square 
  miles 
  

   (about 
  32 
  sq. 
  km.) 
  of 
  cultivable 
  land 
  at 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  around 
  7,000 
  

   feet 
  (about 
  2,100 
  m.) 
  

  

  In 
  Argentina, 
  the 
  Atacameno 
  area 
  is 
  somewhat 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   Bolivian 
  Andes, 
  with 
  dry 
  intermont 
  basins, 
  undissected 
  puna, 
  and 
  

   isolated 
  mountain 
  ranges 
  up 
  to 
  19,000 
  feet 
  (about 
  6,000 
  m.) 
  altitude. 
  

   Elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  Argentine 
  Andes, 
  the 
  intermont 
  basins 
  are 
  larger 
  and 
  

   more 
  water 
  is 
  available 
  for 
  irrigation. 
  

  

  In 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  unfavorable 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  environment, 
  the 
  arche- 
  

   ological 
  investigations 
  have 
  shown 
  that 
  small 
  fishing 
  groups 
  lived 
  

   along 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Coast, 
  supplementing 
  their 
  marine 
  subsistence 
  with 
  

   some 
  hunting 
  of 
  animals 
  in 
  sections 
  where 
  the 
  sparse 
  vegetation 
  sup- 
  

   ported 
  land 
  game. 
  Little 
  agriculture 
  was 
  possible 
  except 
  at 
  such 
  

   favored 
  spots 
  as 
  Arica. 
  At 
  some 
  places 
  on 
  the 
  Coast 
  graziDg 
  was 
  

   made 
  possible 
  by 
  the 
  heavy 
  fogs, 
  which 
  produce 
  enough 
  moisture 
  for 
  

   slight 
  vegetation 
  on 
  the 
  Coastal 
  hills. 
  However, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  surprising 
  

   that 
  Coastal 
  hunting 
  and 
  fishing 
  groups 
  survived 
  into 
  late 
  agricultural 
  

   times. 
  In 
  the 
  interior, 
  the 
  various 
  oases 
  supported 
  some 
  cultivation, 
  

   and 
  the 
  adjacent 
  puna 
  lands 
  were 
  used 
  for 
  grazing. 
  The 
  same 
  is 
  true 
  

   of 
  the 
  Andean 
  puna, 
  although 
  much 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  too 
  high 
  or 
  too 
  dry 
  for 
  

   agriculture. 
  In 
  the 
  more 
  favored 
  basins 
  of 
  Salta 
  and 
  Jujuy, 
  better 
  

   agriculture 
  was 
  possible. 
  

  

  The 
  environment 
  undoubtedly 
  influenced 
  the 
  cultural 
  history 
  of 
  

   the 
  Atacameno 
  in 
  many 
  ways. 
  Local 
  calamities 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  

   frequent, 
  since 
  but 
  a 
  minor 
  shift 
  in 
  the 
  mountain 
  rainfall 
  would 
  affect 
  

   the 
  cultivated 
  area 
  in 
  the 
  Atacama 
  Desert. 
  For 
  another 
  example, 
  it 
  

   was 
  possible 
  for 
  small 
  groups 
  to 
  live 
  for 
  long 
  periods 
  of 
  time 
  in 
  compara- 
  

   tive 
  isolation, 
  since 
  the 
  terrain 
  was 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  attractive 
  to 
  tempt 
  

   their 
  more 
  powerful 
  northern 
  and 
  southern 
  neighbors. 
  Still, 
  trade 
  

   with 
  these 
  advanced 
  neighbors 
  was 
  always 
  possible 
  and 
  probably 
  

   accounts 
  for 
  much 
  cultural 
  change. 
  The 
  situation 
  was 
  quite 
  distinct 
  

   in 
  the 
  better 
  basins 
  of 
  Salta 
  and 
  Jujuy, 
  and 
  here 
  the 
  Atacameno 
  were 
  

   ultimately 
  replaced 
  by 
  the 
  more 
  advanced 
  Diaguita. 
  

  

  A 
  number 
  of 
  authors 
  think 
  that 
  there 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  significant 
  

   climatic 
  changes, 
  particularly 
  in 
  North 
  Chile, 
  where 
  algarrobo 
  forests 
  

   are 
  found 
  partially 
  buried 
  by 
  sand, 
  and 
  where 
  old 
  irrigation 
  ditches 
  

   are 
  located 
  in 
  now 
  waterless 
  sections. 
  However, 
  such 
  occurrences 
  

   might 
  be 
  accounted 
  for 
  in 
  other 
  ways, 
  and 
  as 
  yet 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  convinc- 
  

   ing 
  evidence 
  of 
  major 
  climatic 
  change 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  human 
  

   occupation. 
  

  

  