Abstract

The mobility patterns of Archaic hunter-gatherers (10,500-3,700 BP) from the highlands of northern Chile have been commonly defined based on the characterization and comparison of lithic materials and, to a lesser extent, on the study of rock art painting found in caves and rock shelters. Other archaeological records have been mentioned occasionally and anecdotally. Investigations carried out from 2006 onwards in the highlands of this region, have sought to address other social dynamics of these hunter-gatherer groups beyond their subsistence, in order to discuss other aspects of their mobility. In this exploratory investigation, we focus on the chronological and contextual systematization of archaic ornamental and sumptuary objects, of local or allochthonous provenance, in the Precordillera (foothills) of northern Chile (2,800-3,800 masl). The presence of these objects, usually classified as “miscellaneous”, found in ten sites with archaic occupations, allows us to account for the different mobility patterns of the highland Andean groups and their possible interaction with other specialized groups. They also allow us to discuss their role and importance in the shaping of different interaction and differentiation forms between individuals inside highland groups. Finally, we discuss the configuration and maintenance of social interactions materialized by the circulation of miscellaneous objects, and the necessary flow of information in the social dynamics established between the Archaic and Formative periods in the Central-South Andes region.