Abstract

Based on the analysis of pottery fragments found at five sites associated with pre-Hispanic trails in the Atacama Desert between the oases of San Pedro de Atacama, Calama and Quillagua, indicators of intentional vessel breakage as part of the ceremonial offerings of travelers were evaluated. Types and contexts of intentional pottery breakage were synthesized, focusing on their diagnostic traits and possible significance, and the proposal that pottery and its involvement in drinking and feeding as part of reciprocal exchanges between sacred places and non-human entities within an Andean logic is explored.