Capitalist Expansion and Identity in the Oasis of San Pedro de Atacama, 1880-1980: An Interdisciplinary Approach

Summary

In the second half of the 19th Century Chile began a period of profound change resulting from the expansion of the mining industry and increasing investment by large private capital interests. Only a few decades later, the subsistence mode of indigenous Atacameño society, in the far north, was profoundly transformed from an essentially agricultural-pastoral economy to a more diversified capitalist-based one. In this poster we present the results of interdisciplinary research on four subsistence strategies incorporated by the Atacameño society in the oases of San Pedro de Atacama: salt mining, sulfur mining, arrieraje (cattle driving), and llareta extraction. The archaeological record along with documentary sources and oral history contribute to understand the specific processes of cultural transformation and integration that occurred in the locality between 1880 and 1980, most importantly, its impact on the construction of Atacameño identity. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Poster Submission 2016   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 512