Chug-Chug en el contexto de la movilidad internodal prehispánica en el Desierto de Atacama, Chile

Abstract

The Chug-Chug area stands up in archaeological terms because it is highly relevant for the study of internodal mobility in the Atacama Desert. What is known as the Chug-Chug Route was one of the main inter-regional caravan roads connecting the north of the Atacama Desert with the southern part of the western Andes. It was one of the most frequently used longitudinal corridors to activate connections, particularly between the Tarapaqueña and Atacameña societies, from the Formative Period onwards. The present article reports the general results of our research in the area since 2008, assessing and discussing its macro-regional importance for understanding the dynamics of mobility and exchange between the pre-Hispanic societies which co-existed in the Tarapacá and Atacama regions in the last 2,500 years of pre-Hispanic history (ca. 1000 BC-1550 AD).