The burial practices of these hunter-gatherers varied, especially over the long period of time in which they occupied the territory. From the beginning, however, these groups usually buried…
Beliefs and funeral rites
In the Copiapó and Huasco valleys, the El Molle people usually buried their dead in artificial earth and stone mounds encircled by a line of stones. Most of…
Agricultural-pastoralists related toTiwanaku State
Around 600 A.D., the highlands and northernmost valleys of the Arid North would capture the economic interest of Tiwanaku, one of the first states to develop in…
Social Organization
Traditional Colla society is organized on the basis of family and friendship ties among people living in the same locality. With the official constitution of indigenous communities under…
Historia
…culture through the emulation of Andean esthetics in ceramic and metal crafts, as well as through the presence of Andean crops such as potatoes, maize, quinoa, and others. While this…
Art
Textile crafts (weaving and knitting) are one of the few artistic activities practiced by Colla women in Río Jorquera and Potrerillos. The women share their skills in community…
Inka Provincial Ceramics
The aríbalo jug, the pedestal pot and the plate together consituted the basic set of ceramic vessels used by individuals and groups residing in provinces under Inka…
The Spear-thrower
The spear thrower, also known as the atlatl, replaced the lance as the weapon of choice for hunting and personal defense among pre-Hispanic societies. These instruments were…
Pipes of Central Chile
Ritual pipe smoking was a common practice among early agricultural groups in the region, but the custom seems to have disappeared around 400 C.E. in Chile’s far…
Tiwanaku Hats in Arica
The people associated with the Tiwanaku culture in Arica customarily wore one of two kinds of hats. One was the multicolored four-cornered hat. The other was the…
Horticultural-pastoralists of the arid north
…Around the same time, these groups adopted new technologies as a result of their interaction with groups from the Altiplano and Northwestern Argentina. These innovations—notably quinoa and corn horticulture and…
Males and Females on Diaguita Ceramic Vessels
Many of the ceramic serving bowls produced by the Diaguita Culture bear the image of a male feline head on their exterior surface, probably a jaguar or…
Wooden People
Up until the early 20th Century, the Mapuche used large wooden statues called chemamull in their kurikawin or funerary rites. These enormous wooden statues were placed beside…
Organización Social
The hunter gatherers of Central Chile lived in small nomadic bands that moved around their territory in search of seasonal food supplies. As their hunting techniques became more…
Economía
These canoeists had a hunter gatherer lifestyle and based their diet mainly on marine mammals, which they hunted with harpoons made from animal bone and tipped with stone…
Indigenous Stories
…Stories, legends and myths play an important role in all societies. Myths explain basic questions relating to the creation of the world, gods, the society and humans themselves. Stories,…
Historia
The history of the Aymara people unfolded on the shores of Lake Titicaca, in what is now Bolivia, continuing a tradition that came to the fore at the…
Social organization
The fundamental unit of Yaghan society was the family, which consisted of parents and children. The family was a closed, independent structure and the only clearly determined social…