Mineros del Alto Cielo: Social space and materiality during the capitalist expansion in the north of Chile (Ollagüe, 20th century)

Summary

In Chile, the process of modernization, expressed by the expansion of capitalism and industrialization, had many economic and social impacts. Based on sulphur mining camps located in Ollagüe, a commune of the Antofagasta region, we show the importance of modern materiality associated with the development of mining industries in northern Chile during the 20th century. We consider that the modernization process, the industrial ruins and the materiality of the recent past, have generated memory spaces which are intertwined with local indigenous communities contemporary preoccupations.

The peculiarities of Latin America’s modernization and capitalist expansion can be understood through the uniqueness of local practices and the material remains to which they are associated. Essential to the recognition of such processes, notions of temporality allow us to approach this materiality in terms of continuity and ruptures. Heritage policies and archaeological practice, through their material remains, gives us new insights about local memories and identities. This archaeological approach gives presence to this temporal fragmentation, generating a local and global political commitment towards the recent past, its material culture and industrial sites.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16510