﻿634 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  CULTURE 
  

   SURFACE 
  STRUCTURES 
  

  

  The 
  Chilean 
  Diaguita 
  left 
  few 
  traces 
  of 
  their 
  existence 
  above 
  ground. 
  

   A 
  number 
  of 
  hill 
  fortresses 
  have 
  been 
  reported 
  consisting 
  of 
  concen- 
  

   tric, 
  dry-stone 
  walls 
  which 
  are 
  5 
  to 
  6% 
  feet 
  (1.5 
  to 
  2.0 
  m.) 
  thick 
  at 
  the 
  

   base. 
  House 
  walls 
  of 
  dry 
  stone, 
  formerly 
  roofed 
  with 
  reeds, 
  are 
  small 
  

   and 
  usually 
  rectangular. 
  Some, 
  however, 
  are 
  circular 
  or 
  oval. 
  

   Ancient 
  walls 
  of 
  mud 
  or 
  adobeexist 
  but 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  post-Conquest. 
  

  

  BURIALS 
  

  

  Several 
  distinct 
  forms 
  of 
  graves 
  were 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Chilean 
  Diaguita. 
  

   Latcham 
  (1928 
  a) 
  records 
  a 
  sub-Andean 
  type 
  consisting 
  of 
  a 
  rectang- 
  

   ular 
  cist 
  built 
  of 
  stone 
  slabs, 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  single 
  body 
  was 
  placed 
  on 
  its 
  

   side. 
  Small 
  circular 
  graves 
  containing 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  eight 
  bodies 
  are 
  

   reported. 
  These 
  probably 
  were 
  the 
  bodies 
  of 
  chiefs, 
  together 
  with 
  

   their 
  wives 
  and 
  slaves. 
  Near 
  the 
  Coast, 
  Latcham 
  has 
  found 
  cists 
  

   built 
  above 
  ground 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  body 
  was 
  seated 
  and 
  the 
  whole 
  was 
  

   covered 
  by 
  a 
  mound 
  of 
  earth. 
  He 
  considers 
  this 
  form 
  typical 
  of 
  Cen- 
  

   tral 
  Chile, 
  and 
  believes 
  it 
  was 
  employed 
  by 
  the 
  Diaguita 
  for 
  only 
  a 
  

   short 
  time. 
  

  

  A 
  cemetery 
  excavated 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  near 
  La 
  Sirena 
  contained 
  three 
  

   types 
  of 
  graves. 
  The 
  most 
  ancient 
  either 
  were 
  secondary 
  bundle 
  

   burials 
  or 
  the 
  body 
  had 
  been 
  seated 
  and 
  then 
  collapsed. 
  Above 
  were 
  

   stone 
  box-graves 
  covered 
  with 
  large 
  slabs, 
  in 
  which 
  one 
  to 
  four 
  bodies 
  

   were 
  extended 
  face 
  upward. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  level 
  and 
  above 
  were 
  flexed 
  

   bodies 
  lying 
  haphazardly. 
  

  

  POTTERY 
  

  

  Pottery 
  (pis. 
  139, 
  140) 
  of 
  the 
  Chilean 
  Diaguita 
  tends 
  to 
  be 
  smaller 
  in 
  

   size, 
  harder, 
  and 
  more 
  delicately 
  decorated 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Argen- 
  

   tine 
  Diaguita. 
  Cooking 
  ware 
  is 
  either 
  dark 
  brown 
  or 
  red. 
  Shoe- 
  

   shaped 
  jars 
  and 
  bird 
  effigies, 
  decorated 
  by 
  modeling 
  or 
  filleting, 
  are 
  

   common. 
  The 
  tableware 
  is 
  adorned 
  with 
  firm 
  thin 
  lines 
  painted 
  in 
  

   black, 
  or 
  black 
  and 
  red, 
  on 
  a 
  light 
  slip. 
  Occasionally, 
  designs 
  with 
  a 
  

   white 
  outline 
  occur. 
  The 
  typical 
  shape 
  is 
  a 
  bowl 
  with 
  flat 
  or 
  slightly 
  

   curved 
  walls 
  and 
  a 
  rounded 
  base. 
  Painted 
  jars, 
  sometimes 
  repre- 
  

   senting 
  animals, 
  are 
  found 
  but 
  are 
  not 
  common. 
  Decoratiou, 
  for 
  the 
  

   most 
  part, 
  consists 
  of 
  geometric 
  forms 
  such 
  as 
  hatched 
  triangles, 
  zig- 
  

   zags, 
  and 
  checkerboard 
  patterns. 
  Terraced 
  frets 
  set 
  in 
  the 
  corners 
  

   of 
  rectangular 
  panels 
  are 
  very 
  typical. 
  Animal 
  forms 
  and 
  human 
  

   faces 
  also 
  occur. 
  It 
  is 
  obvious 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  regional 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  tem- 
  

   poral 
  variations 
  in 
  style 
  but 
  their 
  significance 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  studied. 
  

  

  The 
  Inca 
  extended 
  their 
  conquests 
  to 
  Chile 
  only 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  cen- 
  

   tury 
  before 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  Spaniards. 
  Inca 
  pottery, 
  however, 
  

  

  