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The Atacama people, also called Atacameño, are an Indigenous people from the
Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert () is a desert plateau located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of South America, in the north of Chile. Stretching over a strip of land west of the Andes Mountains, it covers an area of , which increases to if the barre ...
and
altiplano The Altiplano (Spanish language, Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechuan languages, Quechua and Aymara language, Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla people, Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extens ...
region in the north of
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
and
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
and southern
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, mainly the
Antofagasta Region The Antofagasta Region (, ) is one of Chile's Administrative divisions of Chile, sixteen first-order administrative divisions. Being the second-largest region of Chile in area, it comprises three provinces, Antofagasta Province, Antofagasta, El ...
. According to the Argentinean Census in 2010, 13,936 people identified as first-generation Atacameño in
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, while Chile was home to 21,015 Atacameño people as of 2002.2002 Chilean census
Instituto nacional de estadisticas de Chile retrieved on May 17, 2015
Other names include Kunza and Likanantaí.


History

The origins of Atacameño culture can be traced back to 500 AD. The Tiwanaku people were the first known conquerors. At the start of the 15th century, the Atacameño were conquered by the
Incan The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The Inca civilisation rose fr ...
emperor Topa Inca Yupanqui, who introduced a new social order, the Inca sun cult and various customs including
coca Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. Coca leaves contain cocaine which acts as a mild stimulant when chewed or ...
leaves. The Inca regime constructed roads from the
Salar de Atacama Salar de Atacama, located south of San Pedro de Atacama, is the largest Salt pan (geology), salt flat in Chile. It is surrounded by mountains and lacks drainage outlets. To the east, it is enclosed by the main chain of the Andes, while to the wes ...
to what is now northeast Argentina.Pueblos originarios de Chile Atacameño
/ref> In 1536, the first Spanish conquistadors, those of Diego de Almagro, arrived in the area and it was finally annexed under Spanish control in 1557. In the 18th century, the Atacameño Tomás Paniri joined the uprisings led by the Peruvian Túpac Amaru II and the Bolivian Túpac Katari. In 1824, the region became part of
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
and in 1879 fell into Chilean hands. In 2007, the Atacameño population was estimated at 21,015 people. In
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
, Ximena Anza was elected to serve as the representative of the Atacameño people for a reserved seat in the Constitutional Convention.


Culture

The Atacameños protected their villages with strong stone walls known as '' pukara'', a Quechua word. They also developed ceramic crafts, copper work (using copper extracted from
Chuquicamata Chuquicamata ( ; referred to as Chuqui for short) is the largest open-pit mining, open pit copper Mining, mine in terms of excavated volume in the world. It is located in the north of Chile, just outside Calama, Chile, Calama, at above sea level. ...
) and gold work. Many of the historic settlements still exist today with the same names, including Quitor, Chiu-Chiu,
Lasana Lasana is a small village located northeast of the city of Calama in the Calama province of Chile's northern Antofagasta Region. It sits along the banks of the Loa River. Pukará de Lasana, ( Quechua ''pukara'' fortress), a pre-Columbian fortre ...
, Turi, Topayín, Susques, Calama, Toconao, Antofagasta de la Sierra, and one of the most important settlements in the region, San Pedro de Atacama.


Language

The original language of the Atacameños was the recently extinct language of Kunza. In the small settlements around Cordillera Domeyko and
Salar de Atacama Salar de Atacama, located south of San Pedro de Atacama, is the largest Salt pan (geology), salt flat in Chile. It is surrounded by mountains and lacks drainage outlets. To the east, it is enclosed by the main chain of the Andes, while to the wes ...
, both within the traditional lands of the Likan Antay, there are residents that speak Spanish without '' yeísmo'' which is otherwise a widespread feature of
Chilean Spanish Chilean Spanish ( or ) is any of several varieties of the Spanish language spoken in most of Chile. Chilean Spanish dialects have distinctive pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and slang usages that differ from those of Standard Spanish, with ...
.


Cuisine

The Atacameño were
lamini Lamini (members are called ''lamines'') is a tribe of the subfamily Camelinae. It contains one extant genus with four species, all exclusively from South America: llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos. The former two are domesticated species, ...
herders who made best use of the scarce water and sparse terrain by using their livestock -
llama The llama (; or ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a List of meat animals, meat and pack animal by Inca empire, Andean cultures since the pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with ...
and
alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. Traditionally, alpacas were kept in herds that grazed on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile. More recentl ...
- both as pack animals and for their meat, hide and wool. Like many other Andean people, the Atacameño created a terraced agriculture to prevent water run-off. They grew various crops, including pumpkins, zucchini, chili, beans, tobacco, melon, corn, and, above all, potatoes and quinoa. They fertilized the crops with
guano Guano (Spanish from ) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. Guano is a highly effective fertiliser due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a le ...
from seabirds, which they transported inland on llama. They also ate meat from their livestock and bought fish and shellfish from coastal peoples in return for '' ch'arki'', a dried, salted meat they produced.


Ceramics

The first period, between the years of 400 AD and 900 AD, saw the Atacameño produce pink glazed pottery, including anthropomorphic jugs, as well as golden jewelry and cups. During the second period, between 900 AD and 1200 AD, black glaze pottery was used, showing the influence of Tiwanaku culture. Artifacts included tablets for inhaling hallucinogens from the Huilco tree and San Pedro cactus, with carved images of human figurines,
condor Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua language, Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. One species, the And ...
s and religious objects. In the third period, from 1200 AD to 1500 AD, shows the influence of the Inca civilization with the construction of stone “pukara” fortresses.


Religion

Smoking hallucinogenic substances was a central part of Atacameño religious culture. Smoking ceremonies were believed to bring humans closer to the gods, allowing the smoker to take on the power of birds, cats or snakes. Finely carved tablets were used to hold the drug, which was then inhaled using wooden or bone tubes. The Atacameños also adopted the
Inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...
sun cult and constructed altars in high places, especially on
Licancabur Licancabur () is a prominent, stratovolcano on the Bolivia–Chile border in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andes. It is capped by a wide summit crater which contains Licancabur Lake, a Volcanic crater lake, crater lake that is among the hig ...
volcano, which was considered sacred and the home of their many gods. They believed in life after death and buried their dead with all the necessary belongings they would need for the journey.


Archeological centres and museums


San Pedro de Atacama

San Pedro de Atacama was the Atacameños primary oasis settlement and the centre of their cultural development. Today, tourism is its main economic activity along with agriculture.


R.P. Gustavo Le Paige Archeological Museum

The R.P. Gustavo Le Paige Archeological Museum, located in San Pedro de Atacama, holds much of the historical and archeological remains of the Atacameño people. It was founded by the Belgian
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
priest Gustavo Le Paige, who moved to San Pedro in 1955 and became fascinated with Atacameño culture. Over the years he collected a wide range of artifacts from ancient burial sites, workshops and settlements, housing them in the museum which bears his name, which he founded in 1963. The collection now contains mummies and more than 380,000 pieces of ceramics, textiles and metallic artifacts.


Communities

Atacameño communities currently living in Argentina include: ;Jujuy, Argentina: * Comunidad aborigen Pórtico de los Andes (de Susques) * Comunidad aborigen de Catua * Comunidad aborigen de Coranzulí * Comunidad aborigen de Huancar * Comunidad aborigen de Olaroz Chico * Comunidad aborigen del Valle de Piscuno (de San Juan de Quillaques) * Comunidad aborigen El Toro (de Rosario de Susques) * Comunidad aborigen Los Manantiales (de Pastos Chicos) * Comunidad aborigen Paso de Jama * Comunidad aborigen Termas de Tuzgle (de Puesto Sey) ;Salta province, Argentina: * Comunidad Cerro Negro (de La Poma) * Comunidad Esquina de Guardia (atacama) * Comunidad de Tipan (atacama) * Comunidad lickan antay de corralitos (atacama) * Comunidad indígena atacama de Rangel (kolla-atacama) ;Catamarca province, departamentos Antofagasta de la Sierra y Santa María: * Comunidad indígena de Antofalla (en Antofalla y Loro Huasi) (kolla-atacama) * Alijilán * Amadores * Andalhualá * Anillaco * Anquincila * Antofalla * Apoyaco Atacameño communities currently living in Chile include: ; Calama communities, Chile: * Taira. * Lasana. * San Francisco de Chiuchiu. * Ayquina. * Caspana. * Yalquincha. * Likan Tatai. * Topater. * La Banda. ; San Pedro de Atacama communities, Chile: * Río Grande. * Machuca. * Matancilla. * Catarpe. * Quitor. * San Pedro de Atacama. * Yayé. * Tchecar. * Sequitor. * Larache. * Coyo. * Solor. * Solcor. * Toconao. * Camar. * Talabre. * Socaire. * Peine.


See also

*
Indigenous peoples in Chile Indigenous peoples in Chile or Native Chileans () form about 13% of the Demographics of Chile, total population of Chile. According to the 2017 census, almost 2,200,000 people declare having Indigenous peoples of South America, Indigenous origin ...
* Kunza *
Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert () is a desert plateau located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of South America, in the north of Chile. Stretching over a strip of land west of the Andes Mountains, it covers an area of , which increases to if the barre ...


Notes


References


External links


Bioética

Arqueología de la ruptura colonial: mouros, chullpas, gentiles y abuelos en España, Bolivia y Chile en perspectiva comparada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atacama People Indigenous culture of the Americas Indigenous peoples in Argentina Indigenous peoples in Chile Indigenous peoples of the Andes Atacama Desert Antofagasta Region