Metal Use and Production among Coastal Societies of the Atacama Desert

Abstract

In this paper, we focus on the study of metal objects associated with populations living on the northern coast of Chile in the Late Intermediate and Late periods (c. ad 1000-1550). Our contribution is based on morphometric and physico-chemical (ICP-AES, PIXE and metallographic sections) analyses of the quintessential coastal metal object: the fish-hook. This study is part of a broader investigation that seeks to understand the organization of mining - metallurgical production systems and their relation with coastal economies and ways of life. We distinguish at least two different traditions, one associated with the Western Valleys area and one with the Arid Desert Coast. These findings expand our understanding of Andean metal making. Furthermore, the presence of a metallurgical tradition within the highly mobile hunter-gatherers of the most arid coast of South America is of great anthropological significance.