Abstract

A review of the irrigation techniques used by the inhabitants of northern Chile during the Late Intermediate Period (ca. 900 – 1500 a.C.) is presented. A high level of sophistication in hydraulic engineering was reached in that period, as it is attested, for example, in the 15 km long Vilasamanani - Socoroma interbasin channel that allowed to increase the cultivable land in a basin with water deficit. As most of the relevant literature regarding the irrigation projects presented in the article is in Spanish and it is not readily accessible, the paper also plays a diffusion role of that research.