A combination of optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, XRD, and Raman Spectroscopy analyses were applied t... more A combination of optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, XRD, and Raman Spectroscopy analyses were applied to a set of rock painting samples and pigments from funerary sites from Initial Late Holocene hunter-gatherer contexts in North-Central Chile. We identified manganese oxides for black and hematite as well as iron-rich clays for red pigments. The mineral and chemical particularities of the samples are discussed regarding their potential for identifying painting events in the rock art sites. We propose that this approach offers the possibility to discuss not only technical aspects of pigments technologies, but also re-painting of the sites as part of the process of rock art production. Also, the comparison with pigments from funerary sites gives some first ideas about pigments selection for different uses in the area.
The study of rock art production has been traditionally focused either on the tools used in the p... more The study of rock art production has been traditionally focused either on the tools used in the process and/or in the components of rock paintings. In this paper we consider the role of fire and soot as substances that participated in the dynamic process of rock art making by Late Holocene hunter-gatherers from the Limarí River Basin (North-Central Chile). Through Optical Microscopy, Raman Spectroscopy and SEM-EDS analyses, together with traditional strategies of rock art recording and radiocarbon dating of paintings, soot and materials recovered from a stratigraphic excavation, we study how fire and soot structured the practice of rock art making in Alero Cachaco. The results show that the deposition of soot on the walls and ceiling of the rockshelter, produced by fire associated with daily activities of the communities that inhabited it, covered paintings, leading people to re-paint the rockshelter for almost 3000 years.
Boletín del Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino , 2020
El arte rupestre es una evidencia arqueológica que ha sido escasamente estudiada en la zona sur d... more El arte rupestre es una evidencia arqueológica que ha sido escasamente estudiada en la zona sur de Chile. En este trabajo damos a conocer los resultados de una investigación, mayormente bibliográfica, que comprende publicaciones científicas, textos de divulgación, notas de prensa, informes técnicos y registros puntuales en terreno. A partir de esto se discuten propuestas previas de definición estilística (estilo Guaiquivilo y "estilo de rostros"), de motivos y técnicas recurrentes ("vulvas" y surcos profundos) y el fenómeno de las piedras santas reportadas etnográficamente para esta zona. Palabras clave: Arte rupestre, Sur de Chile, Revisión bi-bliográfica, Guaiquivilo, Estilo de rostros. As archaeological evidence, rock art has been scarcely studied in the south of Chile. This paper presents the research results of a mostly bibliographical review, which includes scientific publications, informational texts, press releases, and technical reports, as well as specific field records. Based on this, we discuss previous proposals of stylistic definitions (Guaiquivilo style and 'face' style), of motifs and recurrent techniques ('vulvas' and deep lines), and the sacred stones phenomenon ethnographically reported for this area.
RESUMEN La presente nota tiene como objetivo informar respecto a un nuevo registro de arte rupest... more RESUMEN La presente nota tiene como objetivo informar respecto a un nuevo registro de arte rupestre en las cercanías del lago Vidal Gormaz, comuna de Cochamó, región de Los Lagos, Chile. El sitio Paredón Luisa presenta un paredón rocoso que conforma un alero donde se identificaron pinturas abstractas de color rojo. Tras comparar los atributos iconográficos y espaciales del sitio con las evidencias arqueológicas de la región, se propone una cronología tardía y una relación con otros contextos de bosque cordillerano ya reportados en la zona. ABSTRACT The aim of this note is to report about a new record of rock art, near Lago Vidal Gormaz, municipality of Cochamó, Los Lagos Region, Chile. The Paredón Luisa site presents a rock shelter where red abstract paintings were identified. After comparing iconographic and spatial attributes of the site with the archaeological evidence of the region, we propose a late chronology and a relationship with other contexts from the mountain forests that have already been reported in the zone.
The production of rock art was a recurrent practice in pre-Colombian America and continued after ... more The production of rock art was a recurrent practice in pre-Colombian America and continued after the arrival of Europeans in AD 1540 and conquest by the Spanish Empire. Contact rock art associated with this historical moment is known in various regions of the Andes. The main focus of study has been through characterisation, defining relative chronologies and assessing which rock art images are attributable to Indigenous communities. In this work, we explore the contact rock art of north-central Chile through two complementary lines of discussion. On the one hand, we assess how the manufacture of rock art in colonial times articulated with earlier production dynamics. On the other, the coexistence of agrarian and hunter gatherer groups in this region in the 16th century AD allows us to compare how the rock art of these two groups reacted to the imposition of Spanish colonisation. The results enable us to identify similarities and differences in the dynamics of contact rock art in the two groups, related both to Spanish policies and to the historical traditions of native communities. Despite the differences, the new visual productions were incorporated into the ancestral spaces of both the agrarian and hunter gatherer communities. ARTICLE HISTORY
This paper offers a technological characterization of the rock art paintings from the Limarí rive... more This paper offers a technological characterization of the rock art paintings from the Limarí river's basin in the Semiarid North of Chile. Previous research has related these paintings to the Late Holocene Hunter-Gatherers (ca 2000 BCE to 500 CE). Chemical-Physical and molecular analyses of paintings using microscopy and Raman Spectroscopy allowed us to identify the pigments used for the production of rock art (hematite, goethite, charcoal and copper sulphate) as well as some organic components (Oxalates and proteic materials). We discuss these data in relation to the dynamics of making rock art by local hunter- gatherers. Finally, based on this discussion, we propose a chronological framework for the use of the different colors for the paintings.
Este trabajo discute la secuencia de desarrollo histórico prehispánico en el Norte Semiárido de C... more Este trabajo discute la secuencia de desarrollo histórico prehispánico en el Norte Semiárido de Chile a partir del estudio de las dinámicas espaciales y temporales de las ocupaciones humanas en la cuenca hidrográfica del río Limarí. A partir del estudio de asentamientos, materiales depositados en colecciones y arte rupestre se observa una secuencia de transformaciones y desarrollo desde el Arcaico Temprano hasta el período Incaico que diverge de lo tradicionalmente planteado para la región, reconociéndose ritmos de cambios sociales diferenciales dentro de la misma zona, especialmente en relación con la tradicional asociación entre incorporación de cerámica y la constitución de un modo de vida agrícola. La incorporación del arte rupestre permite articular sus características espaciales y representacionales con procesos más amplios, discutiéndose las relaciones establecidas entre dinámi-cas y cambios sociales con los flujos de información que producen las representaciones rupestres y sus respectivas audiencias. Palabras claves: norte semiárido, cuenca hidrográfica del río Limarí, secuencia histórica, patrón de asentamiento, arte rupestre. This paper discusses the pre-Hispanic sequence of historical development in the semiarid north of Chile through the study of spatial and temporal dynamics of human occupation in the Limari valley. Based on the study of settlements, museum collections and rock art, a sequence of transformations and development between the Early Archaic and Inca Period is observed that differs from what is traditionally known of the area. In this time frame, social changes such as the adoption of pottery and the constitution of an agrarian way of life, occur at different paces in both time and space within the same Limari valley. We discuss spatial and representational characteristics of rock art in relation to pre-hispanic social processes, emphasizing the links between audiences, flows of information and the dynamics of social life.
En este trabajo entregamos una primera caracterización de
las pinturas rupestres de la cuenca hid... more En este trabajo entregamos una primera caracterización de las pinturas rupestres de la cuenca hidrográfica del río Limarí, que se asocian a grupos cazadores recolectores del Holoceno Tardío Inicial (ca. 2000 ac a 500 dc). A partir de análisis físicoquímicos moleculares, como microscopía y espectroscopía Raman, se identifican los pigmentos utilizados en la elaboración de estas representaciones pintadas, además de algunos componentes orgánicos. Los resultados obtenidos se discuten en relación con las dinámicas asociadas a la manufactura de estas representaciones por los cazadores recolectores que las ejecutaron. Finalmente, usando tal información y sobre todo los colores utilizados, se hipotetiza una secuencia cronológica de las pinturas rupestres.
Este trabajo discute la secuencia de desarrollo histórico prehispánico en el Norte Semiárido de C... more Este trabajo discute la secuencia de desarrollo histórico prehispánico en el Norte Semiárido de Chile a partir del estudio de las dinámicas espaciales y temporales de las ocupaciones humanas en la cuenca hidrográfica del río Limarí. A partir del estudio de asentamientos, materiales depositados en colecciones y arte rupestre se observa una secuencia de transformaciones y desarrollo desde el Arcaico Temprano hasta el período Incaico que diverge de lo tradicionalmente planteado para la región, reconociéndose ritmos de cambios sociales diferenciales dentro de la misma zona, especialmente en relación con la tradicional asociación entre incorporación de cerámica y la constitución de un modo de vida agrícola. La incorporación del arte rupestre permite articular sus características espaciales y representacionales con procesos más amplios, discutiéndose las relaciones establecidas entre dinámi-cas y cambios sociales con los flujos de información que producen las representaciones rupestres y sus respectivas audiencias. Palabras claves: norte semiárido, cuenca hidrográfica del río Limarí, secuencia histórica, patrón de asentamiento, arte rupestre. This paper discusses the pre-Hispanic sequence of historical development in the semiarid north of Chile through the study of spatial and temporal dynamics of human occupation in the Limari valley. Based on the study of settlements, museum collections and rock art, a sequence of transformations and development between the Early Archaic and Inca Period is observed that differs from what is traditionally known of the area. In this time frame, social changes such as the adoption of pottery and the constitution of an agrarian way of life, occur at different paces in both time and space within the same Limari valley. We discuss spatial and representational characteristics of rock art in relation to pre-hispanic social processes, emphasizing the links between audiences, flows of information and the dynamics of social life.
This paper discusses the relationships between rock art and the production of social networks amo... more This paper discusses the relationships between rock art and the production of social networks among hunter-gatherers from the Late Holocene in central-northern Chile. Despite the low visual integrity of the paintings under study, the use of D-Stretch software allowed us to digitally improve the images, and conduct formal and quantitative analyses at different levels of variability. The comparison between two areas of the region showed two systems of visual communication that structure themselves along divergent principles. Such results point to the existence of two different social network systems due to social complexity processes and the increasing spatial demands of the communities living in the area. The very existence of rock art is interpreted in the light of these historical processes. The results we present help expanding the discussion on rock art and social networks considering the multiscalar nature of the networks as well as by weighing the role of history and environment in such a process.
En las últimas tres décadas, el desenvolvimiento de la Arqueología Social en Latinoamérica (ASL) ... more En las últimas tres décadas, el desenvolvimiento de la Arqueología Social en Latinoamérica (ASL) se ha visto sujeto a numerosas revisiones, tanto en sus postulados como en su puesta en marcha. En este sentido, en el Chile actual, resulta necesario realizar una revisión del proceso histórico de la ASL. En este artículo se propone discutir la convergencia de las nuevas “arqueologías sociales”, iniciativas teóricas diversas que tienen como eje el desarrollo de una praxis social, con los postulados de la ASL y desde la crítica contribuir a la valoración de este proyecto disciplinar.
We report the first absolute dating for rock paintings
by Andean hunter-gatherer groups. Analysi... more We report the first absolute dating for rock paintings
by Andean hunter-gatherer groups. Analysis by Raman
spectrometry of remains of black paintings from the centernorth
of Chile (30° lat. S) allows for the identification of
carbon as the raw material. Radiocarbon dating situates these
paintings between 1623–1431 BCE and 80–240 ACE, dates
that are supported by other lines of independent evidence.
These results are consistent with proposals that suggest the
appearance and popularization of rock art in various places
in the Andes for the temporal transect of 3000–1000 BCE.
Finally, these new datings are added to the scant corpus of
absolute dates for rock art that exist in South America.
A combination of optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, XRD, and Raman Spectroscopy analyses were applied t... more A combination of optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, XRD, and Raman Spectroscopy analyses were applied to a set of rock painting samples and pigments from funerary sites from Initial Late Holocene hunter-gatherer contexts in North-Central Chile. We identified manganese oxides for black and hematite as well as iron-rich clays for red pigments. The mineral and chemical particularities of the samples are discussed regarding their potential for identifying painting events in the rock art sites. We propose that this approach offers the possibility to discuss not only technical aspects of pigments technologies, but also re-painting of the sites as part of the process of rock art production. Also, the comparison with pigments from funerary sites gives some first ideas about pigments selection for different uses in the area.
The study of rock art production has been traditionally focused either on the tools used in the p... more The study of rock art production has been traditionally focused either on the tools used in the process and/or in the components of rock paintings. In this paper we consider the role of fire and soot as substances that participated in the dynamic process of rock art making by Late Holocene hunter-gatherers from the Limarí River Basin (North-Central Chile). Through Optical Microscopy, Raman Spectroscopy and SEM-EDS analyses, together with traditional strategies of rock art recording and radiocarbon dating of paintings, soot and materials recovered from a stratigraphic excavation, we study how fire and soot structured the practice of rock art making in Alero Cachaco. The results show that the deposition of soot on the walls and ceiling of the rockshelter, produced by fire associated with daily activities of the communities that inhabited it, covered paintings, leading people to re-paint the rockshelter for almost 3000 years.
Boletín del Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino , 2020
El arte rupestre es una evidencia arqueológica que ha sido escasamente estudiada en la zona sur d... more El arte rupestre es una evidencia arqueológica que ha sido escasamente estudiada en la zona sur de Chile. En este trabajo damos a conocer los resultados de una investigación, mayormente bibliográfica, que comprende publicaciones científicas, textos de divulgación, notas de prensa, informes técnicos y registros puntuales en terreno. A partir de esto se discuten propuestas previas de definición estilística (estilo Guaiquivilo y "estilo de rostros"), de motivos y técnicas recurrentes ("vulvas" y surcos profundos) y el fenómeno de las piedras santas reportadas etnográficamente para esta zona. Palabras clave: Arte rupestre, Sur de Chile, Revisión bi-bliográfica, Guaiquivilo, Estilo de rostros. As archaeological evidence, rock art has been scarcely studied in the south of Chile. This paper presents the research results of a mostly bibliographical review, which includes scientific publications, informational texts, press releases, and technical reports, as well as specific field records. Based on this, we discuss previous proposals of stylistic definitions (Guaiquivilo style and 'face' style), of motifs and recurrent techniques ('vulvas' and deep lines), and the sacred stones phenomenon ethnographically reported for this area.
RESUMEN La presente nota tiene como objetivo informar respecto a un nuevo registro de arte rupest... more RESUMEN La presente nota tiene como objetivo informar respecto a un nuevo registro de arte rupestre en las cercanías del lago Vidal Gormaz, comuna de Cochamó, región de Los Lagos, Chile. El sitio Paredón Luisa presenta un paredón rocoso que conforma un alero donde se identificaron pinturas abstractas de color rojo. Tras comparar los atributos iconográficos y espaciales del sitio con las evidencias arqueológicas de la región, se propone una cronología tardía y una relación con otros contextos de bosque cordillerano ya reportados en la zona. ABSTRACT The aim of this note is to report about a new record of rock art, near Lago Vidal Gormaz, municipality of Cochamó, Los Lagos Region, Chile. The Paredón Luisa site presents a rock shelter where red abstract paintings were identified. After comparing iconographic and spatial attributes of the site with the archaeological evidence of the region, we propose a late chronology and a relationship with other contexts from the mountain forests that have already been reported in the zone.
The production of rock art was a recurrent practice in pre-Colombian America and continued after ... more The production of rock art was a recurrent practice in pre-Colombian America and continued after the arrival of Europeans in AD 1540 and conquest by the Spanish Empire. Contact rock art associated with this historical moment is known in various regions of the Andes. The main focus of study has been through characterisation, defining relative chronologies and assessing which rock art images are attributable to Indigenous communities. In this work, we explore the contact rock art of north-central Chile through two complementary lines of discussion. On the one hand, we assess how the manufacture of rock art in colonial times articulated with earlier production dynamics. On the other, the coexistence of agrarian and hunter gatherer groups in this region in the 16th century AD allows us to compare how the rock art of these two groups reacted to the imposition of Spanish colonisation. The results enable us to identify similarities and differences in the dynamics of contact rock art in the two groups, related both to Spanish policies and to the historical traditions of native communities. Despite the differences, the new visual productions were incorporated into the ancestral spaces of both the agrarian and hunter gatherer communities. ARTICLE HISTORY
This paper offers a technological characterization of the rock art paintings from the Limarí rive... more This paper offers a technological characterization of the rock art paintings from the Limarí river's basin in the Semiarid North of Chile. Previous research has related these paintings to the Late Holocene Hunter-Gatherers (ca 2000 BCE to 500 CE). Chemical-Physical and molecular analyses of paintings using microscopy and Raman Spectroscopy allowed us to identify the pigments used for the production of rock art (hematite, goethite, charcoal and copper sulphate) as well as some organic components (Oxalates and proteic materials). We discuss these data in relation to the dynamics of making rock art by local hunter- gatherers. Finally, based on this discussion, we propose a chronological framework for the use of the different colors for the paintings.
Este trabajo discute la secuencia de desarrollo histórico prehispánico en el Norte Semiárido de C... more Este trabajo discute la secuencia de desarrollo histórico prehispánico en el Norte Semiárido de Chile a partir del estudio de las dinámicas espaciales y temporales de las ocupaciones humanas en la cuenca hidrográfica del río Limarí. A partir del estudio de asentamientos, materiales depositados en colecciones y arte rupestre se observa una secuencia de transformaciones y desarrollo desde el Arcaico Temprano hasta el período Incaico que diverge de lo tradicionalmente planteado para la región, reconociéndose ritmos de cambios sociales diferenciales dentro de la misma zona, especialmente en relación con la tradicional asociación entre incorporación de cerámica y la constitución de un modo de vida agrícola. La incorporación del arte rupestre permite articular sus características espaciales y representacionales con procesos más amplios, discutiéndose las relaciones establecidas entre dinámi-cas y cambios sociales con los flujos de información que producen las representaciones rupestres y sus respectivas audiencias. Palabras claves: norte semiárido, cuenca hidrográfica del río Limarí, secuencia histórica, patrón de asentamiento, arte rupestre. This paper discusses the pre-Hispanic sequence of historical development in the semiarid north of Chile through the study of spatial and temporal dynamics of human occupation in the Limari valley. Based on the study of settlements, museum collections and rock art, a sequence of transformations and development between the Early Archaic and Inca Period is observed that differs from what is traditionally known of the area. In this time frame, social changes such as the adoption of pottery and the constitution of an agrarian way of life, occur at different paces in both time and space within the same Limari valley. We discuss spatial and representational characteristics of rock art in relation to pre-hispanic social processes, emphasizing the links between audiences, flows of information and the dynamics of social life.
En este trabajo entregamos una primera caracterización de
las pinturas rupestres de la cuenca hid... more En este trabajo entregamos una primera caracterización de las pinturas rupestres de la cuenca hidrográfica del río Limarí, que se asocian a grupos cazadores recolectores del Holoceno Tardío Inicial (ca. 2000 ac a 500 dc). A partir de análisis físicoquímicos moleculares, como microscopía y espectroscopía Raman, se identifican los pigmentos utilizados en la elaboración de estas representaciones pintadas, además de algunos componentes orgánicos. Los resultados obtenidos se discuten en relación con las dinámicas asociadas a la manufactura de estas representaciones por los cazadores recolectores que las ejecutaron. Finalmente, usando tal información y sobre todo los colores utilizados, se hipotetiza una secuencia cronológica de las pinturas rupestres.
Este trabajo discute la secuencia de desarrollo histórico prehispánico en el Norte Semiárido de C... more Este trabajo discute la secuencia de desarrollo histórico prehispánico en el Norte Semiárido de Chile a partir del estudio de las dinámicas espaciales y temporales de las ocupaciones humanas en la cuenca hidrográfica del río Limarí. A partir del estudio de asentamientos, materiales depositados en colecciones y arte rupestre se observa una secuencia de transformaciones y desarrollo desde el Arcaico Temprano hasta el período Incaico que diverge de lo tradicionalmente planteado para la región, reconociéndose ritmos de cambios sociales diferenciales dentro de la misma zona, especialmente en relación con la tradicional asociación entre incorporación de cerámica y la constitución de un modo de vida agrícola. La incorporación del arte rupestre permite articular sus características espaciales y representacionales con procesos más amplios, discutiéndose las relaciones establecidas entre dinámi-cas y cambios sociales con los flujos de información que producen las representaciones rupestres y sus respectivas audiencias. Palabras claves: norte semiárido, cuenca hidrográfica del río Limarí, secuencia histórica, patrón de asentamiento, arte rupestre. This paper discusses the pre-Hispanic sequence of historical development in the semiarid north of Chile through the study of spatial and temporal dynamics of human occupation in the Limari valley. Based on the study of settlements, museum collections and rock art, a sequence of transformations and development between the Early Archaic and Inca Period is observed that differs from what is traditionally known of the area. In this time frame, social changes such as the adoption of pottery and the constitution of an agrarian way of life, occur at different paces in both time and space within the same Limari valley. We discuss spatial and representational characteristics of rock art in relation to pre-hispanic social processes, emphasizing the links between audiences, flows of information and the dynamics of social life.
This paper discusses the relationships between rock art and the production of social networks amo... more This paper discusses the relationships between rock art and the production of social networks among hunter-gatherers from the Late Holocene in central-northern Chile. Despite the low visual integrity of the paintings under study, the use of D-Stretch software allowed us to digitally improve the images, and conduct formal and quantitative analyses at different levels of variability. The comparison between two areas of the region showed two systems of visual communication that structure themselves along divergent principles. Such results point to the existence of two different social network systems due to social complexity processes and the increasing spatial demands of the communities living in the area. The very existence of rock art is interpreted in the light of these historical processes. The results we present help expanding the discussion on rock art and social networks considering the multiscalar nature of the networks as well as by weighing the role of history and environment in such a process.
En las últimas tres décadas, el desenvolvimiento de la Arqueología Social en Latinoamérica (ASL) ... more En las últimas tres décadas, el desenvolvimiento de la Arqueología Social en Latinoamérica (ASL) se ha visto sujeto a numerosas revisiones, tanto en sus postulados como en su puesta en marcha. En este sentido, en el Chile actual, resulta necesario realizar una revisión del proceso histórico de la ASL. En este artículo se propone discutir la convergencia de las nuevas “arqueologías sociales”, iniciativas teóricas diversas que tienen como eje el desarrollo de una praxis social, con los postulados de la ASL y desde la crítica contribuir a la valoración de este proyecto disciplinar.
We report the first absolute dating for rock paintings
by Andean hunter-gatherer groups. Analysi... more We report the first absolute dating for rock paintings
by Andean hunter-gatherer groups. Analysis by Raman
spectrometry of remains of black paintings from the centernorth
of Chile (30° lat. S) allows for the identification of
carbon as the raw material. Radiocarbon dating situates these
paintings between 1623–1431 BCE and 80–240 ACE, dates
that are supported by other lines of independent evidence.
These results are consistent with proposals that suggest the
appearance and popularization of rock art in various places
in the Andes for the temporal transect of 3000–1000 BCE.
Finally, these new datings are added to the scant corpus of
absolute dates for rock art that exist in South America.
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As archaeological evidence, rock art has been scarcely studied in the south of Chile. This paper presents the research results of a mostly bibliographical review, which includes scientific publications, informational texts, press releases, and technical reports, as well as specific field records. Based on this, we discuss previous proposals of stylistic definitions (Guaiquivilo style and 'face' style), of motifs and recurrent techniques ('vulvas' and deep lines), and the sacred stones phenomenon ethnographically reported for this area.
las pinturas rupestres de la cuenca hidrográfica del río Limarí,
que se asocian a grupos cazadores recolectores del Holoceno
Tardío Inicial (ca. 2000 ac a 500 dc). A partir de análisis físicoquímicos
moleculares, como microscopía y espectroscopía
Raman, se identifican los pigmentos utilizados en la elaboración
de estas representaciones pintadas, además de algunos
componentes orgánicos. Los resultados obtenidos se discuten
en relación con las dinámicas asociadas a la manufactura de
estas representaciones por los cazadores recolectores que las
ejecutaron. Finalmente, usando tal información y sobre todo
los colores utilizados, se hipotetiza una secuencia cronológica
de las pinturas rupestres.
by Andean hunter-gatherer groups. Analysis by Raman
spectrometry of remains of black paintings from the centernorth
of Chile (30° lat. S) allows for the identification of
carbon as the raw material. Radiocarbon dating situates these
paintings between 1623–1431 BCE and 80–240 ACE, dates
that are supported by other lines of independent evidence.
These results are consistent with proposals that suggest the
appearance and popularization of rock art in various places
in the Andes for the temporal transect of 3000–1000 BCE.
Finally, these new datings are added to the scant corpus of
absolute dates for rock art that exist in South America.
As archaeological evidence, rock art has been scarcely studied in the south of Chile. This paper presents the research results of a mostly bibliographical review, which includes scientific publications, informational texts, press releases, and technical reports, as well as specific field records. Based on this, we discuss previous proposals of stylistic definitions (Guaiquivilo style and 'face' style), of motifs and recurrent techniques ('vulvas' and deep lines), and the sacred stones phenomenon ethnographically reported for this area.
las pinturas rupestres de la cuenca hidrográfica del río Limarí,
que se asocian a grupos cazadores recolectores del Holoceno
Tardío Inicial (ca. 2000 ac a 500 dc). A partir de análisis físicoquímicos
moleculares, como microscopía y espectroscopía
Raman, se identifican los pigmentos utilizados en la elaboración
de estas representaciones pintadas, además de algunos
componentes orgánicos. Los resultados obtenidos se discuten
en relación con las dinámicas asociadas a la manufactura de
estas representaciones por los cazadores recolectores que las
ejecutaron. Finalmente, usando tal información y sobre todo
los colores utilizados, se hipotetiza una secuencia cronológica
de las pinturas rupestres.
by Andean hunter-gatherer groups. Analysis by Raman
spectrometry of remains of black paintings from the centernorth
of Chile (30° lat. S) allows for the identification of
carbon as the raw material. Radiocarbon dating situates these
paintings between 1623–1431 BCE and 80–240 ACE, dates
that are supported by other lines of independent evidence.
These results are consistent with proposals that suggest the
appearance and popularization of rock art in various places
in the Andes for the temporal transect of 3000–1000 BCE.
Finally, these new datings are added to the scant corpus of
absolute dates for rock art that exist in South America.