﻿606 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  Kakan 
  language 
  of 
  the 
  Diaguita, 
  the 
  evidence 
  is 
  not 
  generally 
  accepted. 
  

  

  Most 
  surviving 
  Indians 
  of 
  Atacameno 
  origin 
  now 
  speak 
  either 
  Aymara 
  

  

  or 
  Spanish. 
  

  

  POPULATION 
  

  

  In 
  physical 
  type, 
  the 
  Atacameno 
  do 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  differed 
  greatly 
  

   from 
  other 
  peoples 
  of 
  the 
  Andes. 
  They 
  are 
  described 
  as 
  short 
  in 
  

   stature 
  and 
  brachycephalic, 
  although 
  dolichocephalic 
  skulls 
  are 
  

   reportedly 
  found 
  in 
  early 
  Coastal 
  fishing 
  sites. 
  Artificial 
  deformation 
  

   of 
  the 
  skull 
  was 
  a 
  common 
  practice. 
  Skull 
  deformation 
  was 
  of 
  two 
  

   types, 
  "sugar 
  loaf" 
  of 
  Tiahuanaco 
  type, 
  and 
  "frontal-occipital," 
  which 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  recent. 
  Such 
  limited 
  studies 
  as 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  of 
  

   the 
  skeletal 
  remains 
  suggest 
  some 
  mixture 
  of 
  physical 
  types. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  no 
  good 
  statistics 
  on 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  Indians 
  in 
  the 
  total 
  

   Atacameno 
  area. 
  Guevara 
  (1929) 
  quotes 
  an 
  estimate 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  the 
  18th 
  century 
  by 
  the 
  Viceroy 
  Jose 
  de 
  Manso 
  of 
  1,632 
  

   inhabitants 
  for 
  the 
  Chilean 
  Atacama 
  region. 
  He 
  also 
  mentions 
  an 
  

   estimate 
  of 
  4,000 
  made 
  in 
  1853 
  for 
  the 
  same 
  region, 
  although 
  he 
  sug- 
  

   gests 
  that 
  this 
  probably 
  included 
  other 
  than 
  pure 
  Atacameno. 
  Only 
  

   2,000 
  were 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  1884 
  estimate. 
  However, 
  Brand 
  (1941 
  b) 
  

   thinks 
  that 
  there 
  may 
  still 
  be 
  some 
  4,000 
  pure 
  and 
  mixed 
  Atacameno 
  

  

  today. 
  

  

  CULTURE 
  

  

  SUBSISTENCE 
  ACTIVITIES 
  

  

  Agriculture. 
  — 
  The 
  Atacameno 
  were 
  agriculturists 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  suitable 
  terrain 
  for 
  cultivation 
  was 
  limited. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  

   known 
  archeological 
  sites 
  are 
  situated 
  in 
  regions 
  in 
  which 
  at 
  least 
  

   some 
  agriculture 
  could 
  be 
  practiced. 
  Maize 
  was 
  the 
  principal 
  crop, 
  

   although 
  beans, 
  quinoa, 
  squash, 
  calabashes, 
  and 
  chili 
  peppers 
  were 
  

   also 
  raised. 
  Potatoes 
  were 
  certainly 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  Late 
  Period, 
  and 
  

   there 
  is 
  some 
  indication 
  that 
  cotton 
  and 
  tobacco 
  were 
  also 
  cultivated. 
  

   Good 
  irrigation 
  systems 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  association 
  with 
  Atacameno 
  

   sites. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  utilized 
  large 
  blocks 
  and 
  grooved 
  canal 
  stones 
  

   forming 
  stone-lined 
  aqueducts, 
  which 
  carried 
  the 
  water 
  for 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  distances. 
  Among 
  the 
  agricultural 
  implements, 
  wooden 
  digging 
  

   sticks, 
  spades, 
  and 
  shovels 
  are 
  common. 
  Hafted 
  stone 
  blades, 
  like 
  

   shovels 
  in 
  appearance, 
  were 
  probably 
  used 
  as 
  hoes. 
  Plain 
  wooden 
  

   clubs 
  served 
  to 
  break 
  up 
  clods, 
  and 
  similar 
  use 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  charac- 
  

   teristic 
  curved 
  wooden 
  knife, 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  scimiter. 
  

  

  Herding. 
  — 
  The 
  herding 
  of 
  llamas 
  and 
  alpacas 
  was 
  also 
  a 
  mojor 
  

   activity, 
  of 
  an 
  economic 
  importance 
  equal 
  to 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  even 
  

   greater 
  than 
  agriculture. 
  The 
  wool 
  fibers 
  were 
  used 
  extensively 
  for 
  

   weaving 
  and 
  cordage, 
  the 
  skins 
  were 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  leatherwork, 
  tools 
  

   were 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  bones, 
  and 
  the 
  meat 
  was 
  eaten. 
  These 
  animals 
  

  

  