Standen, Santoro, Núñez, Briones

Caravan Archaeologies Workshop/Taller de Caravanas Arqueológicas

Mobility from the coast to inland environment. Bioanthropological evidence of the Archaic and Formative periods (ca. 6000-2000 a.p.)

Vivien G. Standen, Calogero M. Santoro, Lautaro Núñez, Luis Briones

Based on bioanthropological evidence two cases of mobility from the Pacific coast to the highland are presented. The first case corresponds to an individual buried next to a trail that connected the intermediate depression with the Pacific coast (920 masl, 40 km from the coast), dated at 3,110±40 BP, which corresponds to the Formative period. Its offerings, which include a sea bird leather with feathers, Quiani-style hairdo, plant fiber skirt, and sea lion leather sandals, point to a coastal origin. This means that during the individual’s lifetime people from the coast moved seasonally to manage resources in oases and quebradas in the Pampa del Tamarugal basin. The second case correspond to a young woman buried in an cave, 60 km from the coast and at 3600 masl, dated at 5,910±90 BP, corresponding to the Middle Archaic period. This woman shows several features that connect her with a costal Chinchorro life background: marine strontium isotopes signal, perimortem treatment including mutilation of the body, and fragments of Pacific shells and remains of a small fish vertebra that were placed next to her. These data confirm that coastal people began travelling to the interior as early as the Archaic period, continuing throughout the Formative. These movements predate the development of the development of llama caravan practices that had their apogee during the Late Intermediate period. The coast to the interior movement was pedestrian without llama caravan handling.