﻿Vol.2] 
  THE 
  ATACAMENO 
  BENNETT 
  603 
  

  

  "pure" 
  Atacameno 
  characteristics 
  were 
  particularly 
  well-adapted 
  to 
  

   the 
  difficult 
  environment 
  of 
  North 
  Chile 
  and 
  the 
  Puna 
  de 
  Jujuy. 
  In 
  

   the 
  following 
  pages, 
  a 
  resume 
  of 
  this 
  basic 
  pattern 
  is 
  given, 
  followed 
  

   by 
  a 
  more 
  detailed 
  description 
  of 
  its 
  component 
  elements. 
  Many 
  de- 
  

   tails 
  of 
  material 
  culture 
  are 
  known 
  since 
  archeological 
  preservation 
  in 
  

   this 
  dry 
  environment 
  is 
  excellent. 
  

  

  LATER 
  HISTORY 
  

  

  Even 
  before 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Conquest, 
  the 
  territory 
  of 
  the 
  Atacameno 
  

   had 
  been 
  badly 
  reduced; 
  first, 
  by 
  the 
  Diaguita, 
  and 
  later, 
  by 
  the 
  Inca, 
  

   who 
  assumed 
  total 
  political 
  control. 
  Following 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Conquest, 
  

   the 
  Quechua- 
  and 
  ^mara-speaking 
  Indians 
  continued 
  their 
  pene- 
  

   tration 
  into 
  Chile 
  and 
  Argentina. 
  

  

  The 
  Atacama 
  desert 
  region 
  held 
  but 
  little 
  interest 
  for 
  the 
  conquering 
  

   Spaniards. 
  The 
  first 
  Spaniards 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  Rio 
  Loa 
  region, 
  Fran- 
  

   cisco 
  de 
  Aguirre 
  and 
  Pedro 
  de 
  Valdivia 
  in 
  1540, 
  were 
  not 
  tempted 
  to 
  

   remain. 
  Later, 
  the 
  encomienda 
  system 
  was 
  implanted 
  but 
  was 
  

   never 
  particularly 
  successful. 
  The 
  Calama 
  Oasis 
  became 
  a 
  stop-over 
  

   on 
  the 
  trip 
  from 
  the 
  Bolivian 
  Highlands 
  to 
  the 
  Chilean 
  Coastal 
  ports. 
  

   Actually, 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  the 
  nitrate 
  fields 
  became 
  important 
  in 
  the 
  

   19th 
  century 
  that 
  any 
  great 
  attention 
  was 
  paid 
  to 
  this 
  area. 
  

   Today, 
  the 
  large 
  copper 
  and 
  nitrate 
  interests 
  have 
  reduced 
  the 
  In- 
  

   dians' 
  terrain 
  even 
  further, 
  and 
  the 
  remaining 
  Atacameno 
  have 
  been 
  

   largely 
  absorbed 
  by 
  the 
  Aymara- 
  or 
  Spanish-speaking 
  populations. 
  

   It 
  is 
  barely 
  possible 
  that 
  a 
  few 
  native 
  speakers 
  may 
  still 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  

   isolated 
  spots 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  Rio 
  Loa 
  Basin 
  and 
  the 
  Puna 
  de 
  Atacama. 
  

  

  BASIC 
  ATACAMENO 
  CULTURE 
  

  

  The 
  Atacameno 
  were 
  basically 
  agriculturists 
  and 
  herders. 
  Agri- 
  

   culture 
  was 
  concentrated 
  in 
  the 
  few 
  favorable 
  oases 
  where 
  irrigation 
  

   was 
  possible. 
  Digging 
  sticks, 
  wooden 
  shovels, 
  and 
  knifelike 
  tools 
  were 
  

   the 
  principal 
  implements 
  utilized 
  in 
  cultivation. 
  Llama 
  and 
  alpaca 
  

   herding 
  was 
  also 
  a 
  major 
  activity, 
  and, 
  as 
  a 
  consequence, 
  the 
  Atacameno 
  

   were 
  great 
  traders. 
  Hunting, 
  except 
  of 
  birds, 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  of 
  

   great 
  importance, 
  but 
  certain 
  weapons 
  were 
  developed 
  for 
  warfare, 
  

   including 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow, 
  the 
  sling, 
  and 
  the 
  wooden 
  knuckle- 
  

   duster. 
  Cloth 
  or 
  leather 
  armor 
  was 
  used, 
  and 
  villages 
  were 
  often 
  for- 
  

   tified. 
  The 
  typical 
  village 
  consisted 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  stone 
  houses 
  

   arranged 
  along 
  irregular 
  streets 
  and 
  surrounded 
  by 
  an 
  enclosure 
  wall. 
  

   The 
  houses 
  were 
  rectangular 
  with 
  flat 
  roofs 
  made 
  of 
  perishable 
  

   materials. 
  

  

  The 
  characteristic 
  grave 
  was 
  a 
  roofed-over 
  cylindrical 
  cyst. 
  Mum- 
  

   mies 
  were 
  prepared 
  with 
  considerable 
  care, 
  and 
  the 
  grave 
  furniture 
  

   was 
  usually 
  elaborate, 
  particularly 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  nonceramic 
  artifacts. 
  

   Woodwork 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  distinctive 
  craft. 
  Carved 
  wooden 
  tablets 
  

  

  