…the wood more flexible. They had better heat retention and a vaulted structure, which was formed by burying the ends of wooden poles in the ground and then bending and…
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 grouping….
Economy
…The Yaghan were one of the Southern-Chilean Canoeist Tribes, nomadic people who lived by hunting, fishing and gathering. Canoes played a key role in their economy and their way…
Historia
…environment. After the extinction of the megafauna, the cornerstone of their early economy, these Paleo-Indian groups reoriented their hunting activities to new, smaller species, giving way to the Archaic Period….
Economy
…was the cactus needle fish hook and the harpoon points they made to hunt different prey. Tumors found in the ear cavities of mummies attributed to this period indicate that…
Arte
These people were the first to produce ceramics in the region. They crafted thin-walled vessels in simple forms, with dark surfaces that were sometimes polished. Some pieces featured…
History
…While the influence of the State of Tiwanaku faded into memory in the Atacama region, local societies reconfigured themselves into señoríos, each with its own unique features, giving way…
Environment and Location
…locations for raising the camelid herds that these people kept, while the rivers that flowed down from the high mountains provided enough water to allow the development of intensive agriculture….
Economy
…The economies of these communities were based on extensive agriculture and livestock raising, taking advantage of the water from ravines by building systems of terraced gardens and irrigation canals….
Economy
…The Tiwanaku developed a huge farming and herding economy. Although they grew crops in terraces and large depressions dug out of the ground, the bulk of their farming was…
Social organization
…Very little is known about this aspect of early hunter culture, but it is likely that these groups lived in small family bands, a unit that was suited to…
Patrón de Asentamiento
…conditions were well suited to gathering the resources needed, which allowed these groups to establish semi-sedentary nuclear settlements near stable water sources. Their dwellings consisted of tent-like structures containing a…
Organización Social
…These groups organized themselves around small family groups that moved through their territory in seasonal cycles in search of food. As their way of life became better adapted to…
Beliefs and funeral rites
…themselves often were enclosed with stone walls, leaving a square opening for a window. The burial sites sometimes contained a single individual, but usually included several bodies in what were…
Economía
…The El Vergel people had a broad-based economy in which hunting and gathering on both land and water (rivers, lakes and sea) complemented their agricultural activities. They grew potatoes,…
Beliefs and funeral rites
…these were created by Nguenechén (“master of Man”). In former times the primary mythical figure was the Pillán, the founding ancestor of the Mapuche lineage. The Mapuche cosmovision is organized…
Historia
…When they adopted an agricultural and pastoral way of life, the people of the Copiapó Valley differentiated themselves from groups living in the southern valleys of the Norte Chico….
Environment and Location
…rivers channel a large volume of water, with flooding in winter from the rains and in summer from meltwater. The climate in the north is marginal desert, with the scant…
Historia
…In many ways, the Las Ánimas groups broke with the past to begin a new cultural tradition. The formerly common tembetás or lip adornments of the El Molle culture…
Economy
…These groups had a very mobile way of life, with an economy based on hunting and gathering of wild plants. They supplemented their diet by dry farming (without irrigation),…
Settlement pattern
…and white wool is placed on top to ward off evil. Atacameño settlement patterns also include complex agricultural terraces and irrigation canals, which are the foundation of their agricultural system….
Social organization
…could move around easily, a necessity for their nomadic way of life. Towards the end of this period, lower rainfall in the Puna region led to increasing aridity, concentrating subsistence…
Social organization
…one or more ‘mayor of the waters’ is also appointed. Lower level positions may be held by unmarried men, though never by women, and may include: the artisan appointed to…
Economy
…The Inka’s main interest in Chile was its mineral wealth, and they extracted those resources through their labor tribute system (mita), in which community members were obliged to serve…