Camanchaca. Flujos etnonímicos y neblineros en la costa norte de Chile

Abstract

This article explores the relation of the term Camanchaca as a common term for the inhabitants of the desert littoral and the coastal fog. The link between both meanings is examined by taking into account the word Camanchaca as an ethnonym, by reviewing its etymology, and the transformations of its meaning. We incorporate archaeological data that serve as a material correlation that allow us to situate fog oases as part of the territory inhabited by these groups. We postulate a new hypothesis for the origins of the ethnonym, and suggest that the shift to designate the atmospheric phenomenon occurredin later periods, possibly influenced by the production of new semantical fields produced by the migratory processes that took place during the nitrate boom and the process of chilenización.