Sequential analysis of human occupation patterns and resource use in the Atacama Desert
Author
dc.contributor.author
Núñez, Lautaro
Author
dc.contributor.author
Grosjean, Martin
es_CL
Author
dc.contributor.author
Cartajena Fasting, María Isabel
es_CL
Admission date
dc.date.accessioned
2013-12-18T18:51:28Z
Available date
dc.date.available
2013-12-18T18:51:28Z
Publication date
dc.date.issued
2010
Cita de ítem
dc.identifier.citation
Chungara, Revista de Antropología Chilena. Volumen 42, Nº 2, 2010. Páginas 363-391
en_US
Identifier
dc.identifier.uri
https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/121675
Abstract
dc.description.abstract
This paper presents a chronological sequence of human occupation from the end of the Pleistocene to the present day in the Atacama
Desert, one of the most barren territories of the New World. The occupational sequence covers a period of 11,000 years of prehistory,
in which distinct patterns of resource use are examined such as hunting, fishing and gathering techniques, animal domestication,
agriculture, animal husbandry, mining, commerce and trade. The study also incorporates innovations based on industrial scale
mining developments in colonial times, the 19th century industrial period and the present day (extractive mega projects). A variety
of cultural, technological and productive developments are discussed in relation to continuity and shifts in human occupations and
their impact on the spatial distribution of the population in different locations from the Andes to the Pacific. A marked imbalance
can be observed between traditional natural resource production and extractive mining activities that lead to extreme ecological
fragility due to the indiscriminate use of water resources. The paper suggests that sustainable development is being jeopardised by
the lack of research and alternative models, coupled with a lack of coherence among political, scientific and ethical discourses.