Abstract

From the understanding of space as produced by the forms it is lived and navigated, we inquire about the circulation of traders and goods at the borders running through the Puna of Atacama and that provide continuity at the same time as they redefine the way space is used and travelled. To this effect, first we contextualize the phenomenon by describing the mobility and the economies that have historically organized this space in the twentieth century. Second, we characterize the current moment by recovering some of these trading methods, presented now as "ferias", executed regularly in different locations of the Atacama's circumpuna during summer season. Finally, we penetrate into these traders’ profile, their incentives and ethnic registration, and regarding the goods in circulation, its articulation with global economies and the ways they create value. As a whole, we focus on the new ways of living and shaping the Puna boarders as producers of a new everyday life. Methodologically, we base on an ethnographic research in different events or trade fairs and towns articulated by this economy on the boarders that Chile, Argentina and Bolivia share at the Puna of Atacama.