Abstract

Quillagua is a small oasis found next to the Loa River. Ethnohistory note the coexistence of indigenous populations from different cultural traditions in this space. Picas had territorial rights in one direction from a brushed and painted wooden post, while Atacamas held the land upwards. These categories were not geographic but instead indications of dual social organization. Here, we investigate the material and visual expressions of this tense intercultural occupation, focusing specifically on the archaeological record after AD 900, when these actors developed numerous social-political exercises, through the construction of a visual landscape.