Browsing by Author "Mandakovic, Valentina"

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    Formative Period in Tarapaca (3000-1000 BP): Archeology, nature and culture in the Pampa del Tamarugal, Atacama Desert, northern Chile
    (CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS, 2020) Uribe, Mauricio; Angelo, Dante; Capriles, Jose; Castro, Victoria; Eugenia de Porras, Maria; Garcia, Magdalena; Gayo, Eugenia; Gonzalez, Josefina; Jose Herrera, Maria; Izaurieta, Roberto; Maldonado, Antonio; Mandakovic, Valentina; Mcrostie, Virginia; Razeto, Jorge; Santana, Francisca; Santoro, Calogero; Valenzuela, Jimena; Vidal, Alejandra
    In this article, we illustrate the relationships that human societies established with their environment during the Formative period in the Pampa del Tamarugal (3000-1000 BP), Atacama Desert, Chile. We employed a theoretical-methodological perspective that emphasizes the explanatory potential of ecofacts. By mediating between humans and environment, this perspective provides a better understanding of how these societies constructed nature and culture. The purpose is to show that this process was part of a long history of rationalization of the desert, its resources, and the lived experience of the Formative communities that occupied that landscape. Therefore, we propose that this human intervention in Pampa del Tamarugal can be understood not only as an ecological and economic change but also a "cosmological" one.
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    FROM THE PACIFIC TO THE TROPICAL FORESTS: NETWORKS OF SOCIAL INTERACTION IN THE ATACAMA DESERT, LATE IN THE PLEISTOCENE
    (2019) Santoro, Calogero M.; Gayo, Eugenia M.; Capriles, Jose M.; Rivadeneira, Marcelo M.; Herrera, Katherine A.; Mandakovic, Valentina; Rallo, Monica; Rech, Jason A.; Cases, Barbara; Briones, Luis; Olguin, Laura; Valenzuela, Daniela; Borrero, Luis A.; Ugalde, Paula C.; Roihhanuner, Francisco; Latorre, Claudio; Szpak, Paul
    The social groups that initially inhabited the hyper arid core of the Atacama Desert of northern Chile during the late Pleistocene integrated a wide range of local, regional and supra regional goods and ideas for their social reproduction as suggested by the archaeological evidence contained in several open camps in Pampa del Tamarugal (PdT). Local resources for maintaining their every-day life, included stone raw material, wood, plant and animal fibers, game, and fresh water acquired within a radius of similar to 30 km (ca. 1-2 days journey). At a regional scale, some goods were introduced from the Pacific coast (60-80 km to the west, ca. 3-4 days journey), including elongated rounded cobbles used as hammer stones in lithic production, and shells, especially from non-edible species of mollusks. From the Andes (ranging 80-150 km to the east, ca. 5-8 days of journey), they obtained camelid fiber, obsidian and a high-quality chalcedony, in addition to sharing knowledge on projectile point designs (Patapatane and Tuina type forms). Pieces of wood of a tropical forest tree species (Ceiba spp.) from the east Andean lowlands (600 km away, ca. 30 days of journey) were also brought to the PdT. While local goods were procured by the circulation of people within the PdT, the small number of foreign items would have been acquired through some sort of exchange networks that integrated dispersed local communities throughout several ecosystems. These networks may have been a key factor behind the success exhibited by these early huntergatherers in the hyper arid ecosystems of the Atacama Desert at the end of the Pleistocene.
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    Integration of Near-Surface Complementary Geophysical Techniques for the Study of Ancient Archaeological Areas in the Atacama Desert (Pampa Iluga, Northern Chile)
    (2023) Gallegos-Poch, Fernanda; Viguier, Benoit; Menanno, Giovanni; Mandakovic, Valentina; Yanez, Gonzalo; Gutierrez, Sergio; Lizarde, Catalina; Araya, Jaime Vargas; Lopez-Contreras, Camila; Mendez-Quiros, Pablo; Maldonado, Antonio; Uribe, Mauricio
    Near-surface geophysical techniques are useful for the characterization of archaeological areas because of their ability to rapidly cover wide extensions and obtain high-resolution data to identify the location for archaeological excavations. However, in hyperarid environments usual geophysical techniques may fail to obtain the expected results due to the dry near surface. This study proposes an integration of ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic induction (EMI) techniques, to elucidate the origin of thousands of aligned circular features located at the Iluga archaeological area emplaced on one of the driest places on Earth (Pampa del Tamarugal, Atacama Desert). The GPR was useful to recognize alluvial deposits, sandy aeolian filling in pre-existing holes and roots right underneath circular features. Magnetic susceptibility data derived from the EMI in-phase component, usually considered a complementary result, were useful to identify fireplaces in the vicinity of the alignments. These geophysical findings were verified with an archaeological excavation. It has been found that circular features resulted from an extensive deforestation process in the Pampa del Tamarugal, consisting in the extraction of both trunk and roots of algarrobos (Prosopis chilensis) or tamarugos (Prosopis tamarugo), likely for recent charcoal production. The proposed methodology delivers promising results for archaeological and shallow geological studies in hyperarid and dry environments.
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    'White gold' guano fertilizer drove agricultural intensification in the Atacama Desert from ad 1000
    (2021) Santana-Sagredo, Francisca; Schulting, Rick J.; Mendez-Quiros, Pablo; Vidal-Elgueta, Ale; Uribe, Mauricio; Loyola, Rodrigo; Maturana-Fernandez, Anahi; Diaz, Francisca P.; Latorre, Claudio; McRostie, Virginia B.; Santoro, Calogero M.; Mandakovic, Valentina; Harrod, Chris; Lee-Thorp, Julia
    The archaeological record shows that large pre-Inca agricultural systems supported settlements for centuries around the ravines and oases of northern Chile's hyperarid Atacama Desert. This raises questions about how such productivity was achieved and sustained, and its social implications. Using isotopic data of well-preserved ancient plant remains from Atacama sites, we show a dramatic increase in crop nitrogen isotope values (delta N-15) from around ad 1000. Maize was most affected, with delta N-15 values as high as +30 parts per thousand, and human bone collagen following a similar trend; moreover, their carbon isotope values (delta C-13) indicate a considerable increase in the consumption of maize at the same time. We attribute the shift to extremely high delta N-15 values-the highest in the world for archaeological plants-to the use of seabird guano to fertilize crops. Guano-'white gold' as it came to be called-thus sustained agricultural intensification, supporting a substantial population in an otherwise extreme environment.