Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino

Cultures > Arid North > Azapa

Social organization

The introduction of farming practices and the consolidation of village life led to an increasing social complexity in these societies. This new way of life required more social organization and the division of its members into groups, each with its specific tasks—fishing, hunting, gathering, growing, and manufacturing of crafts and implements. Among these, a small elite group capable of directing these increasingly complex economic and religious activities may have formed.