The Tomatas are an extinct indigenous people that inhabited the valley of Tarija at the time of the Spanish founding of
Tarija in 1574. The tomatas appear to have originated in the area of
Copiapó in the Chilean
Norte Chico as attested in the designation "tomatas copiapoes" found in early Spanish manuscripts.
This group was likely uprooted from their homelands in Chile as part of the population transfers of the
Inca Empire.
[ Based on archaeological remains, the Elqui Valley, about 240 km south of Copiapó Valley, has also been proposed as a possible origin. ][ The Tomatas appear to have given placenames from their old lands to their new area of settlement thus explaining the existence of "Chilean" placenames such as Loa, Calama, and Erqui ( Elqui) in Bolivia.][
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References
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Indigenous peoples in Bolivia
Tarija Department