﻿608 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  HOUSES 
  AND 
  VILLAGES 
  

  

  Architectural 
  work 
  is 
  associated 
  with 
  Atacameno 
  everywhere 
  except 
  

   along 
  the 
  Chilean 
  Coast. 
  In 
  fact, 
  this 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

   differences 
  between 
  Coastal 
  and 
  inland 
  sites. 
  

  

  Atacameno 
  villages 
  are 
  generally 
  compact, 
  and 
  of 
  relatively 
  small 
  

   size. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  in 
  the 
  Rio 
  Loa 
  region 
  covers 
  an 
  area 
  about 
  

   900 
  by 
  1 
  ,300 
  feet 
  (300 
  by 
  400 
  m.) 
  , 
  and 
  was 
  probably 
  used 
  more 
  as 
  a 
  

   refuge 
  fortress 
  than 
  a 
  village. 
  The 
  villages 
  are 
  usually 
  located 
  on 
  

   natural 
  rocky 
  outcrops 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  agricultural 
  

   land. 
  A 
  typical 
  village 
  consists 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  rectangular 
  houses 
  

   arranged 
  roughly 
  in 
  rows 
  on 
  different 
  levels. 
  Narrow 
  streets 
  or 
  

   alleys 
  separate 
  the 
  rows 
  of 
  houses 
  and 
  miscellaneous 
  meandering 
  

   walls 
  occur. 
  A 
  defense 
  wall 
  encircles 
  the 
  whole 
  unit, 
  and 
  contains 
  

   12-inch-square 
  loopholes 
  through 
  which 
  the 
  defenders 
  could 
  shoot 
  

   their 
  arrows. 
  The 
  houses 
  are 
  rectangular 
  and 
  small, 
  about 
  10 
  by 
  13 
  

   feet 
  (3 
  by 
  4 
  m.) 
  in 
  maximum 
  size. 
  The 
  walls 
  are 
  made 
  of 
  split 
  and 
  

   selected, 
  although 
  not 
  dressed, 
  stone 
  slabs 
  set 
  in 
  a 
  mud 
  cement, 
  and, 
  

   in 
  rare 
  cases, 
  logs 
  and 
  adobes 
  are 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  construction. 
  In 
  

   the 
  so-called 
  Early 
  Period, 
  the 
  floors 
  are 
  of 
  hard-packed 
  clay 
  and 
  the 
  

   v/alls 
  are 
  about 
  4% 
  feet 
  (1% 
  m.) 
  high, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  windows, 
  

   niches, 
  or 
  doorways. 
  Presumably, 
  the 
  entrance 
  was 
  through 
  the 
  flat 
  

   roof 
  which 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  poles 
  and 
  sticks 
  covered 
  with 
  clay. 
  In 
  later 
  

   periods, 
  the 
  houses 
  have 
  higher 
  walls, 
  up 
  to 
  10 
  feet 
  (3 
  m.), 
  and 
  doors, 
  

   windows, 
  and 
  interior 
  niches 
  are 
  characteristic. 
  Most 
  of 
  them 
  still 
  

   have 
  flat 
  or 
  pent 
  roofs, 
  but 
  some 
  gabled 
  roofs 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  Inca-mfLu- 
  

   enced 
  buildings. 
  The 
  doors 
  are 
  made 
  with 
  lintels 
  and 
  well-squared 
  

   joints, 
  and 
  measure 
  about 
  3 
  feet 
  (1 
  m.) 
  in 
  width 
  and 
  from 
  6 
  to 
  7 
  feet 
  

   (about 
  2 
  m.) 
  in 
  height. 
  Each 
  house 
  usually 
  has 
  one 
  window, 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  possible 
  that 
  both 
  windows 
  and 
  doors 
  were 
  once 
  closed 
  with 
  rush 
  

   or 
  cane 
  mats. 
  

  

  Storage 
  bins 
  are 
  commonly 
  located 
  in 
  the 
  corners 
  of 
  the 
  houses. 
  They 
  

   are 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  high, 
  and 
  have 
  a 
  window-door 
  at 
  the 
  base. 
  Al- 
  

   though 
  now 
  open 
  at 
  the 
  top, 
  they 
  probably 
  once 
  had 
  covers 
  of 
  sticks 
  

   and 
  rushes. 
  There 
  are 
  likewise 
  underground 
  granaries, 
  lined 
  with 
  

   stone 
  slabs. 
  Burials 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  granaries 
  and 
  under 
  the 
  

   floors 
  of 
  the 
  houses. 
  They 
  are 
  also 
  located 
  in 
  caves 
  in 
  the 
  natural 
  rock 
  

   outcrops 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  villages 
  are 
  built. 
  

  

  In 
  general, 
  household 
  artifacts 
  are 
  rarely 
  found 
  inside 
  the 
  dwellings. 
  

   Furthermore, 
  the 
  houses 
  do 
  not 
  contain 
  fireplaces. 
  In 
  all 
  probability, 
  

   the 
  houses 
  were 
  principally 
  used 
  as 
  sleeping 
  quarters, 
  while 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  other 
  activities, 
  including 
  the 
  cooking, 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  outside 
  under 
  

   temporary 
  shelters. 
  At 
  least, 
  large 
  stone 
  mortars 
  and 
  metates 
  are 
  

   commonly 
  found 
  around 
  the 
  villages, 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  houses. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  whole, 
  Atacameno 
  architecture 
  does 
  not 
  differ 
  very 
  greatly 
  

   from 
  Diaguita 
  or 
  much 
  of 
  Inca 
  masonry. 
  In 
  fact, 
  Latcham 
  (1938 
  a) 
  

  

  