Violence in times of change: the late intermediate period in San Pedro de Atacama

ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH: The Late Intermediate Period in the Andes (A.D. 1000-1476) witnessed a decline in the prosperity associated with the Middle Horizon and the state of Tiwanaku (A.D. 750-1000). These disruptions are manifested in the construction of fortified sites, migration, and in a paucity of material culture. We investigate whether these changes affected the levels of interpersonal violence in the oases of San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile. Nearly 150 crania from the Late Intermediate cemetery of Yaye, one of the poorest in the area, were examined for evidence of trauma. They demonstrated a very high frequency of cranial fractures, 29.2% of the population (42/144), distributed throughout the bones of the skull. These results were compared to contemporary sites, which show similar patterns. Moreover, crania from the Tiwanaku an the Inka periods were also analyzed and compared to this data. The populations from these two periods show less evidence of cranial trauma than those from Yaye. In the Tiwanaku Period, 11.9% of the population is affected (11/92), but in the subsequent Inka Period we see a notable decrease in trauma (4.0% or 11/275). These temporal differences in trauma may be associated with the larger cultural changes in the area. The results of this study indicate the possibility that the high rate of trauma seen at Yaye is related to the stress of the Late Intermediate. // ABSTRACT IN SPANISH: Durante el período Intermedio Tardío en los Andes (1.000-1.476 d.C.) se advierte una caída de la prosperidad asociada con el Horizonte Medio y con el estado de Tiwanaku (750-1.000 d.C.). Estas disrupciones se manifiestan en la construcción de sitios fortificados y empobrecimiento material. Hemos investigado si estos combios incidieron en los niveles de violencia interpersonal en los oasis de San Pedro de Atacama, norte de Chile. Se presentan los resultados del análisis de evidencias de traumas en alrededor de 150 cráneos del cementerio Intermedio Tardío de Yaye, uno de los sitios funerarios más pauperizados del área. El 29.2% de la población (42/144), presenta señales de golpes en el cráneo. Estos resultados fueron comparados con los de otros sitios de la época (Coyo 3 y Quitor 6 Tardío), los que muestran patrones similares. Se analizaron, además, cráneos del período Tiwanaku (Solcor 3) y del período Inka (Catarpe). Estas poblaciones demuestran menos traumas que los de Yaye, lo que puede representar importantes cambios culturales en el área. Los re