The Archaeological Zone of Guatacondo

by
Grete Mostny

The archaeological zone of Guatacondo (Huatacondo) is situated in the Plain of Tamarugal in the
north of the republic of Chile (Province of Tarapaca, Department of Iquique). The Plain of Tamarugal,
of which the quebrada of Guatacondo forms a part, extends from the quebrada of Tana (I9° 27' S~ 69°
58' W) to the River Loa, whose middle and lower course forms the boundary with the Atacama desert.
The plain has a surface a rea of 45,000 sq. km . and constitutes a morph ological unit betwee n 600 and
1500 m. above sea level. The quebradas descend from the Andean foothills but do not cross the plain
entirely; they disappear near the level of 1500 m . above sea level , as with the quebradas of Aroma,
TarapaGi , Seca, Chaca rilla , Gua tacondo , and Mani (the only exception being the quebrada of TambillosL
In side th e area of the great central plain, especially toward its southern limits, there are various salt-pans
which correspond to old lake beds . These have the ir own internal drainage and sporadic trickles of
water, the remains of sea water imprisoned in the interior after some sudden and ancient continental
elevat ion.
It is not yet possible to indicate the exact limits of the archaeo logical zone of Guatacondo since the
investigations, still in their preliminary phases, have concentrated almost exclusively on the quebrada of
Guatacondo itself with only occasional surveys in adjacent areas.
Let us consider Site G-l (22° 28' S; 26° 56' W) , the largest populated area, to be the focal point,
based on its area and the number of e lements peculiar to it. At some point in the past there were
grouped around it a series of sites all along the length of the quebrada of Guatacon do, from its origin to
the north of the mode rn town of Guatacondo to its disappearan ce approximately 25 km. east of the
Panamerican Highway. This zone is characteri zed by urban sites of similar nat ure, ancient cultivated
fields with irrigatio n canals, petroglyphs stylistically related, pottery of a well- defined type , and more or
less homogeneous lithic material associated with the ceramics. We know that some of these elements-
the pottery, for example-have a much wider distribution. The pottery has been found in the region of
Pi ca to the north (Nunez 1962). The geoglyphs or "pintados" (Mostny 1964) are found over a much
wider region where they occur in great profusion and are often indicated in present-day place names
(Quebrada de Pintados, Estacion Pintados, etc.). In view of these problems, and due to the limited
exploration available for this study, we will consider the territory of the quebrada of Guatacondo and its
immediately adjacent areas as the nucleus of the archaeological zone of Guatacondo, without fixing
definitive boundaries of the zone.
The first exploration of the area was made in 1963 by Emil De Bruyne, scientific collaborator of
Chile's National Museum of Natural History . The subsequent investigations have been under direction
of the same institution.
Site G-l is located on the third terrace formed by the river, the lowest terrace just above the present
bed of the quebrada of Guatacondo. On this terrace, and also on the next higher (second) one , are the

91
92 Grete Mostny
remains of cultivated fields. The site is situated between two branches of the quebrada, on the banks of
the south branch, which apparently was the original course, at some time in the past cut off by an
especially violent flood which forced the river to form a new channel to the north of the archaeological
site.
The region is an absolutely dry desert at the present time, with the exception of some small oases
where water is found. The first oasis, Tamentica, is 50 km. east of the Panamerican Highway, or some
25 km . above the archaeological site and the place where the quebrada loses itself in the plain. There
follow (moving up the quebrada) the oases of Chelis, Tiquina, Molino , and finally the modern town of
Guatacondo, 16 km. to the east of Tamentica.
The region enjoyed a different climate during the epoch of prehistoric occupation, however, as is
shown by many remains of tree trunks in Site G-4 on the second terrace, the abundant use of wooden
posts in Site G-1 , and the existence of extensive ancient cultivated fields. A radiocarbon date (lVlC 166)
from a wooden post used in the construction of House 12 at Site G-1 dates the agricultural activity in
this area at 1890 ~ 90 years, or at about the beginning of the Christian era.
The preseOt-day vegetation in the oases consists principally of tamarugal trees, cultivated fields of
maize, fruit trees of temperate climates, and vegetable gardens. As expected, animal life is very limited,
consisting only of foxes, small rodents, and pumas; in addition, there is some small-scale keeping of
llamas and other domestic animals of post-Columbian origin. Although we did not have the chance to
see them, the condor must be relatively abundant.
The zone includes some beds of copper ore which were surely exploited in prehistoric times; several
sites have yielded remains of slag having a content of 4.6 percent of copper (DeBruyne 1963) . One of
these mines is located in the oasis of Tamentica and has been worked into modern times.

Cultivation
Present-day farming, with artificial irrigation, is possible only at the oases. That this situation was
different in prehistoric times is shown by the extensive cultivated fields near the ancient habitation areas
and, at times, directly adjacent to the sites. Such fields also occur at higher terraces (second terrace) and
with several sites observed from the air. Within the once-cultivated fields, traces of the irrigation ditches
can be seen. Depending on the type of land (rocky or clay), the fields were cleared of stones and the
small ditches delimited by lines of stones or little ridges of clay. There were rectangular fields watered by
ditches which passed by one edge, and other fields in which the border walls of clay formed a kind of
zig-zag which forced the water to inundate the whole field before passing to the next one. The slightly
sloping land allowed water moven •.;nt without necessitating the construction of agricultural terraces. We
have observed that the fields closest to the settlements were of rectangular form while those further
away tended to have irregular form; the former appear to be of more recent origin than the latter.
The great extent of these cultivated fields in lands which are today absolutely sterile, combined with
the abundant remains of ancient trees, show that the hydrologic conditions have changed profoundly in
the last centuries or millennia. Apart from the progressive general desiccation, the level of subterranean
water in this area appears to have been very unstable, as shown by the observations of B. Tolosa in the
neighborhood of the quebrada of Mani. There, owners of isolated agricultural holdings have had to
abandon their fields periodically for lack of water. After some years the level of subterranean water rises
sufficiently to permit cultivation again (Tolosa 1963a).
As for the species cultivated, the main crops were maize, squash or gourds, and lima beans; remains
of the plants as well as abundant grinding tools have been found in the different archaeological sites.

Habitations
The most distinctive feature of this archaeological zone is the villages. The largest and most cleady
defined settlement pattern is at the Guatacondo site G-1 described in the accompanying article by
 The Archaeological Zone of Guatacondo 93
Meighan. Within a radius of 9 km. are found several similar sites: G-2, 3, 5, and 7. All have in common
an approximately circular plan for their enclosures. At Sites G-1 and 5, the material of construction is
clay, with very little stone used in the walls; Site G-2 is built of clay and stone in about equal amounts,
and Site G-3 is built entirely of stone, now fallen for the most part.
Described below are the typical features of G-1, the site most thoroughly investigated: The central
part consists of an oval plaza surrounded by a wall of rectangular adobe bricks. The present height of the
wall in the northeast part is 0.65 m. At 0.5 m. above the floor there is a small window 10 cm. square
lined with four stones; such little windows or "portholes" are common features in several enclosures of
the site. Adjacent to the wall were light structures, as shown by remaining postholes. In the center of
the plaza, whose floor is hard and free of sand, is a "monolith" - an alluvial boulder composed of fine
and medium sand with abundant small stones (pebble conglomerate) . It is about 1.5 m. in height,
without any defined form, and rests on the floor of the plaza.
Around the plaza are a large number of enclosures which served as habitations and storage
structures; including the plaza, they occupy a total area of 120 x 95 m.
Initial excavation by the Museum of Natural History exposed a group of such enclosures in the
southeast and northeast sectors of the site, and subsequent work (reported in the accompanying paper
by Meighan) excavated many more. They have in common the circular plan, the interior floor lower
than the exterior level of the soil (up to 0.85 m.), a superstructure of adobe chunks or large blocks up
to 0.5 m. in height, and above that, courses of adobes. In the southeast sector, the adobes are
approximately spherical as if made by shaping balls of wet clay. In the northeast part of the site,
however, the adobes are rectangular. Another common feature is the use of a course of rounded stones,
more or less flat and of considerable size, in the walls of the enclosure. The little window observed in
the wall of the plaza is also found in the walls of the habitation enclosures that have sufficient wall
height preserved. In the floors are pits, generally cylindrical, which served as silos or storage bins.
Structure 12 had seven such storage bins around the circumference of the floor; these were unique for
the site, having ·a small superstructure in the form of a cupola made of little cylindrical adobes. In all the
enclosures there was an abundant use of wooden posts. They occur in the doorways as jambs, for central
and peripheral posts supporting the roof, and for transverse roof supports holding up a roof of reeds and
clay. Remains of a reed covering were found in Structure 12, one of the most complex structures
excavated, and from which came the first radiocarbon samples from the site.
A unique feature observed in Structure 33, on the southwestern periphery of the settlement, is a
human head modelled in clay. It is about 2/3 natural size and forms part of the surviving course of
adobes. This head may have been surrounded by others, less elaborated, which made a kind of necklace
with the first (see Mostny 1971, Fig. 7). The photographs give such an impression but it is not possible
to prove it from examination at the site itself.
In the other habitation sites of the area no excavations have yet been carried out. For this reason I
add only a mention of an enclosure in Site G-3, of which there remains only a circle of stones. Three of
them are adorned with engraved petroglyphs, which in technique and style are related to those of
Tamentica.

Rock Art
Abundant evidence of rock art is found throughout the archaeological zone of Guatacondo. We
distinguish the following:
a) PetrogIyphs, defined as rock art which is found pecked, engraved, or incised on rock surfaces,
whether cliffs or loose rock. The most important of these is located in the oasis of Tamentica, where
petroglyphs are found on 45 boulders which undoubtedly form a unit. A topographic map of the site has
been made.
The elements are engraved (pecked) into a surface of granodiorite with lines of varying depth .
Among the motifs can be distinguished geometric forms as well as humans and animals, sometimes
94 Grete Mostny

portrayed very naturalistically. The most common are representations of herbivores (primarily llamas),
human figures with varying kinds of stylization, and condors, which are repeated with many variations.
Actually, this site seems linked to the condor cult, on account of many condor representations,
naturalistic to strongly stylized forms, in addition to the representations interpreted as condor-men. It is
interesting to note that depictions of felines, the central figures of rock art in the Atacama desert, are
virtually absent from the petroglyphs of Tamentica, and apparently from the whole zone of Guatacondo.
The only example recorded is found on boulder No. 44; this represents a feline in a position of defense
or attack facing another quadruped (llama or dog?), and this depiction is stylistically different from those
found south of Guatacondo.
Another notable motif is the commonly repeated representation of men in boats with a double body
(of leather or reeds?), the men portrayed as poling or fishing. It must be remembered that Tamentica is
located in extreme desert, 1800 m. above sea level and over 100 km. from the Pacific Coast.
Less important groups of petroglyphs are found throughout the quebrada of Guatacondo, especially
from Tamentica toward the interior. They have been partially described by Tolosa (1963 b) who
observed them in 1958 and 1959. Still earlier, Plagemann appears to have mentioned others (cited by
Boman 1908, vol. 2, p. 720). Petroglyphs of the same type have been found in the previously mentioned
enclosure of Site G-3 .
b) Geoglyphs. We have given this name to rock art produced on the flanks of hills or on flat surfaces
of the desert by removing rocks from areas of the soil or by alignments of stones. These are
characterized by their large size which guarantees visibility from great distances , while for the same
reason they are difficult to observe from close up (Mostny 1964) .
Geoglyphs exist at Site G-6, located on the second terrace of the quebrada of Guatacondo, about 8
km. up the quebrada from Site G-l, near the confluence with the quebrada of La Guitarra. The
geoglyphs include two large figures of stars, each one more than 10 m . in diameter (Mostny 1971, Fig.
14), two geometric figures composed of squares, a rectangle, and a figure we interpret as the wing of a
condor, by analogy with similar elements in the petroglyphs of Tamentica. The pictorial effect has been
produced by clearing the surface of a thin layer of dark pebbles covering the base soil, which is a light
clay.
Another group borders the highest terrace south of the quebrada near Tamentica (Site T -V). The
slopes of Puntilla mountain also show extensive geoglyphs, especially herbivores and a motif which gives
, the impression of representing a large spotted animal skin (Mostny 1971 , Fig. 15) .
A concentration of geoglyphs is in the quebrada of Los Pintados, which were visited and partially
photographed by 1. Montane in July of 1966. Also, the hills near the railway station of the same name
are covered with geoglyphs (northwest of the quebrada of Guatacondo). Other groups have been
observed on the flat extension of the desert south of the quebrada; these, which have not yet been
located on the ground, represent llamas and humans.
No rock painting and no engraved petroglyphs with colored surface have been found as yet.

Workshops

There are workshops scattered over the entire area. From those seen so far, there are, in general,
remains of pottery and at times of scoria mixed with coarse artifacts of basalt, occasionally a quartz
projectile point, discoidal stone beads, and a relative abundance of Pacific shells.
The most abundant material is black basalt, varying in form from almost spherical tools to conical
and convex scrapers. All these artifacts have been worked by percussion; the spherical ones often show
that they have been used as hammerstones.
The most extensive workshop so far recorded is Site G-4-5 (G-4 has circular constructions of clay and
for this reason has been considered as a separate site; however, it is located inside the area of the
workshop near its southwestern end). The workshop area is more than 2 km. in length with a width
greater than 100 m. Material is found scattered over the surface with some areas of greater
 The Archaeological Zone of Guatacondo 95
concentration. A surprising feature is the presence of a larger number of tree remains, the sub-surface
parts of which are preserved in situ, indicating that at some time in the past there was a sparse grove of
trees.
The pottery, fragments of which have been collected in large quantity from the surface, has been
given a preliminary analysis by C. Isasi, who worked 153 sherds from Site G-4. The pottery has sand
temper and is of granular texture, with construction by coiling; the coil marks are still visible in some
cases. Firing was oxidizing, at times incomplete, leaving a gray core (carbon streak) under the red
surfaces (at times brown-to-black from partial oxidizing). Hardness is about 2.5 on Moh's scale. Wall
thickness varies between 4 and 11 mm. averaging 6-7 mm. No fragments of bases or handles were
found; on the other hand, there is a high percentage of rims which are thickened 2-3 mm. toward the
mouth of the vessel. We reconstructed such forms as sub-globular ollas with short necks, and jars of
similar form with out-turned necks and rims and somewhat thickened rims. In general the pottery lacks
decoration, although we found one polychrome sherd, probably from the neck of a jar, decorated with
the marked mongoloid features of a human face.
The existence of anthropomorphic vessels is shown by a piece from Site T-II, situated in the tip of a
promontory at Tamentica. It represents a human being on foot , fingers touching on the abdomen,
jutting chin, eyebrows which join at the root of the nose (all in relief); the eyes are elliptical and
modelled, the earlobes perforated. On the back of the head there is a plain handle; the total height of
the vessel is 23 cm.

Cemeteries
One cemetery was found to the south of Site G-l, on the slope between the second terrace and the
third. It is limited in extent and is not believed to be the principal cemetery of the site. Some graves
have been disturbed, and fragments of bones and textiles are scattered on the surface.
Other cemeteries have been found in Tamentica, at Site T-Ill. Found in a test pit were two head-
coverings of a framework of twigs wrapped in multi-colored wool forming designs. They are of a type
very similar to specimens preserved in the regional museum of Iquique; the latter come from nearby
beach sites and are clearly of Tiahuanaco type. There is also a black cooking vessel from Site T-Ill.
On the steep slopes forming the north bank of the quebrada of Tamentica there existed a cemetery,
apparently very extensive. Unfortunately, heavy flooding which carried away the sand and rocks of the
surface layers has completely destroyed this cemetery so that excavations recover artifacts far from their
original burial location and in very fragmentary condition. In this cemetery, excavations have been done
by B. Tolosa with the same results as ours, but among the ceramic fragments he found some of Gentilar
type (Arica II).
As a final note, on one surface survey near the cemetery of Site G-l, we collected from the surface
two fragments of an Inca aryballoid vessel.
Except for the above, no effort has been made to locate the cemeteries, which doubtless exist in
some abundance in this archaeological zone.

Radiocarbon Dates
Thanks to the courtesy of Dr. M. A. Tamers of the Institute of Scientific Investigations (Venezuela),
we have obtained three radiocarbon dates from material in Structure 12, Site G-l. These dates, along
with several more obtained from UCLA , are discussed in more detail in the accompanying article by
Tartaglia; however, they are important as being the first dating of the characteristic Faldas del Morro
culture found at Site G-l. 'it
A piece of wood from the central post which supported the roof dated 1890 ~:}OO years ago (lVIC
166). Some corncobs from the interior of the sub-floor storage bin F dated 1175 ~ 90 years ago (lVIC-
167). Some charcoal, from 0.5 m . above the floor of the enclosure, and above the layer of reeds and
96 Grete Mostny
branches of the fallen roof (found 20-30 cm. above the house floor), dated 775 :!: 160 years ago (IVIC-
168).
These dates are in part contradictory. The construction of the house and the deposit of the harvest in
one of the storage bins should have been contemporaneous. Yet between the age of the post and the
corncobs there is a difference of 725 years. We thought at first that this discrepancy could be caused by
the use of wood already ancient at the time of construction. Wood of this type is found and utilized still
today, buried in the sands of the desert, giving to such layers the term "mines of firewood". However,
J. C. Lerman, in a paper presented at the 38th International Congress of Americanists (Stuttgart, 1968),
maintains that radiocarbon dates on the Gramineae, including maize, ought to be augmented by some
centuries, and recently-while this paper was still in press-Lautaro Nunez, who confronted the same
problem of the discrepancy in age between maize and other kinds of samples, told me that the latest
radiocarbon tests made on the remains of maize in his excavations showed that the age was about 700
years greater than that indicated on first examination. We conclude, on the basis of this information,
that the maize found in Structure 12 should also be 700 years older than the C-14 date of IVIC-167.
Therefore, there is no reason to doubt the date of 1890:!:100 years ago-the beginning of the Christian
era - for the construction of the structure.
The third date shows some period of secondary occupation of the site, after it had been abandoned,
the roofs fallen and covered with a layer of sand several centimeters thick; a layer of this thickness could
accumulate in less than a year. Above this layer were found the remains of a hearth, the fire perhaps of
a solitary traveller.

Conclusions

Although our investigations in the archaeological zone of Guatacondo have not yet been conducted
in depth, several conclusions are established:
1. The archaeological zone of Guatacondo, the exact limits of which remain to be defined, represents
a cultural unit with characteristic features, among them the urban community plan and the circular,
semi-subterranean structures characteristic of Site G-I.
2. It represents an area with many kinds of occupational remains such as settlements, cultivated
fields, cemeteries, cult locations, workshops, and rock art. The fact that we have not yet been able to
locate refuse mounds seems accidental and a result of the limited exploration.
3. Chronologically the site of Guatacondo and tbe archaeological zone represent a prolonged human
occupation at least from the period of incipient agriculture. Human remains of sedentary farmers exist
from the beginning of the Christian era to Incaic times. The urban settlement plan, the circular en-
closures, the use of human heads modelled in the wall, the floors of the houses deeper than the sur-
rounding soil, the use of adobe in construction, are all traits archaic or early which have been observed
in other sites outside of Chile on pre-agricultural and incipient agricultural levels, for example on the
coast of Peru. Equally strong resemblances are to be seen with the sites of Tafi del Valle in Argentina
(Rex Gonzalez and Nunez 1962), which belong chronologically to the first centuries of our era.
It is somewhat surprising that until now, with 16 sites known in the original survey and additional
ones discovered by Patricio Nunez in 1968, it has not been possible to locate a clearly pre-agricultural
site. We are convinced that this fact is due to the lack of systematic exploration.
4. The quebrada of Guatacondo has been apparently a pathway from the coast to the Andean
altiplano. This explains the presence of representations of boats in the petroglyphs of Tamentica, the
finding of cemeteries of fishermen in the nearby oasis of Pica by Nunez (1962), and the occurrence of
marine shell and fish bones in many of the sites studied. It also explains the presence of pottery of
Gentilar type; possibly, the Incaic pottery also arrived by trade although it is premature to draw final
conclusions on this matter. The two head-coverings found near Tamentica are traces of contact with a
Tiahuanacoid culture.
 The Archaeological Zone of Guatacondo 97
5. There is a surprising lack of pronounced cultural influences from the neighboring regions to the
south. No pottery has been found corresponding to the type of San Pedro Atacama, for example. The
cult of the feline , which is primary in the basin of the Rio Loa and in the Salar de Atacama, appears to
be absent or without major importance in the zone of Guatacondo; in place of it there seems to have
prevailed a condor cult.
These considerations are necessarily preliminary. A much more prolonged and intensive investigation
is necessary to allow definitive conclusions. [This summary was originally published in Spanish (Mostny
1970) and a slightly more detailed version with color photographs appeared a year later (Mostny 1971) .]