The prehistoric Population of Calama (Chunchuri, Northern Chile). Composition and Structure

Abstract

In 1912 Max Uhle carried out the archaeological excavation of the Chunchuri archaeological site, which is located in the banks of Loa River, near the town of Calama in northern Chile. This paper focuses on the study of the bio-anthropological materials recovered from the site, particularly the skulls, in
order to understand the structure and composition of the ancient populations of the area. We have
demonstrated the existence of significant phenotypic differences between sex, age groups, and types of skull deformations. These results provided the means to explore the set of biological properties of
the local population during the Late Intermediate Period. This research shows the great potential for study from old museum collections, giving not only valuable information about the way of life during the Late Intermediate Period, but also about the relations between people of the coast, valleys and
highlands from northern Chile and northwestern Argentina.