Browsing by Author "Nunez, Lautaro"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Silvopastoralism and the shaping of forest patches in the Atacama Desert during the Formative Period (ca. 3000-1500 years BP)
    (2022) McRostie, Virginia; Babot, Pilar; Calas, Elisa; Gayo, Eugenia; Gallardo, Francisco; Godoy-Aguirre, Carolina; Labarca, Rafael; Latorre, Claudio; Nunez, Lautaro; Ojeda, Karla; Santoro, Calogero M.; Valenzuela, Daniela
    During the Formative period by the Late-Holocene (ca. 3000-1500 BP), semi-sedentary and sedentary human occupations had emerged in the oases, salares, and riverine systems in the central depression (2400-1000 masl) of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile (19-25 degrees S). This hyperarid core was marginally occupied during the post-Pleistocene and middle Holocene droughts. Settlement on these lower belts was accompanied by a rise in humidity, the introduction of Andean crops, flourishment of Prosopis spp. (algarrobo) forests, and increasing integration of domestic camelid caravans. Here, we explore lowland husbandry within risk-spreading strategies, focusing on silvopastoralism and endozoochory between camelids and algarrobos. Analysis of camelid coprolites from seven archeological sites located in the Pampa del Tamarugal, Loa River, and Salar de Atacama found intense grinding from camelid chewing and indicated a ruminal digestive system. Abundant macro and microremains in the form of tissues, phytoliths, crystals, cell structures, and others, were identified as Prosopis, Atriplex, Schoenoplectus, Distichlis, and Phragmites. We conclude that camelids were foraging for Prosopis, although the rather low number of entire seeds preserved in the coprolites leads us to think that these herbivores might not have been the main vectors for the spread and germination of algarrobos. More samples and interdisciplinary studies are needed to comprehend the complex socioecological web in the shaping of these forests and the management of the Atacama Desert landscapes.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Tráfico, movilidad y dieta entre el oasis de Pica y la costa árida del desierto de Atacama durante el periodo Intermedio tardío (norte de Chile)
    (2021) Nunez, Lautaro; Santana Sagredo, Francisca
    We present the results of interdisciplinary research on the topic of diet and mobility in the arheic zone of northern Chile during the Late Intermediate period (AD 900-1450), based on the study of the Pica-8 cemetery. A strategic location between the Altiplano and the coast, Pica-8 was used by an agrarian population that grew tropical and semitropical species of plants, especially maize, and engaged in highly sophisticated craft production. During the development of the Pica-Tarapaca complex, resources moved between inland oases and the coast, based on the evidence of marine species found in the valleys and vice versa. We describe the Pica-8 population using radiocarbon dates and stable isotope analysis to gain insight into diet and mobility. We also consider the relationship between diet, mobility, and funerary contexts. Results demonstrate that diet was quite variable, with groups eating a mix of marine and terrestrial resources, as well as maize. The presence of nonlocal objects suggests that Pica acted as a contact point between the coast and the Altiplano. No relationship was found between funerary context and diet. We conclude that coastal and Pica oasis populations were in permanent contact and that their relations were characterized by social harmony.