Ceremonialismo y congregación durante la transición arcaico tardío y formativo temprano en la circumpuna de Atacama (norte de Chile)

Abstract

On the western side of the circumpuna in the Atacama Desert, along ecorefuges with favorable resources in the surrounding areas, the Late Archaic hunter-gatherers of the Puripica-Tulán phase (ca. 2600 to 1900 BC) initiated a process of “Neolithic” changes that included the domestication and breeding of camelids and that culminated in the Tilocalar phase (ca. 1200 a 550/430 BC). Among Late Archaic sites, Tulán-52 stands out by its aggregated and complex stone structures and can be considered as a prototype of ceremonial centres. Its innovative features continued in the archetypal Early Formative centre of Tulán-54, at a time when subsistence then included hunting, pastoralism and horticulture. Within a context of increasing social complexity, diverse rituals associated with feasting took place in both ceremonial centres. The latter led to the accumulation of food remains, tools and ornaments production remains, hearths and sediment, creating mounds that deliberately covered the ceremonial structures, under the guidance of emerging leadership.