Abstract

Sculpted stone models or maquetas are a distinctive material expression of the inca occupation of the Atacama Desert. In this paper, we characterize a site with stone maquetas located along the Loa River above the town of Chiu-Chiu. Based on its formal attributes, the site can be dated to the Inca period. We consider the site's internal spatial organization and relationship with the landscape to discuss how the maquetas acted as intermediaries between human and non-human beings in the region as part of agricultural rituality. Finally, we situate the agricultural rituality of the maquetas within the ritual and political dynamics established by the inca state in the Atacama.