Early archaeobotanical evidences in Calama oasis, Topater 1 cemetery (middle Formative, 500 b. C. - 100 a. D., Atacama Desert, northern Chile)

Abstract

The management of domestic camelids, and the income and cultivation of plants are some of the distinctive features of the Formative period in the Atacama Desert (ca. 3000-1450 A. P.). The increase and regularity of exchange alliances, stabilize a new way of life in which the relationship with the territory acquires new dimensions, while amplifying or at least making more visible the interaction of societies with the plant world. In this article we describe the archaeobotanical record of the Topater 1 cemetery of the oasis of Calama (Loa river), belonging to the middle Formative and dated by radiocarbon around 400 and 200 B. C. The excellent preservation and diversity of plant resources offered, contributes to the knowledge of the archaeobotanical repertoire in the Central-South Andes and to a better understanding of the existing idiosyncrasies during this regional period. The emergence of the first agro-silvopastoril societies of the Atacama Desert is foreseen.