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Unique among its kind in the Atacama Desert, the temple of Tulan-54 is a key site of the Early Formative period. Evidence of ceremonies and ritual activities, such as feasts and offerings, demonstrates that Tuldn-54 was the scene of important cultural and economic transformation, from hunter-gatherers to early pastoralist communities. Recent investigations have provided new data that enriches and challenges interpretations of the site, the association of its ceremonial architecture with its material culture, and its carved motif and inhumations. This evidence expands our understanding of the social and cultural complexity of Chilean Early Formative societies at both a local and regional scale. Keywords: Chile, Atacama, Tulan, Early Formative period, temple, Introduction Early Formative society (c. 3500-2400 BP) in the Tulan ravine is contemporaneous with the development of ceremonial and public architecture in the highlands of the Southern Andes. Sunken courts [...]

In this study we address the analysis of bone staining and its sedimentary deposits to obtain a better understanding of the taphonomic trajectories of faunal assemblages in dynamic site formation processes. The fossil remains belong to continental fauna recovered at GNL Quintero 1, a Late Pleistocene drowned terrestrial site located nearshore at Quintero bay in the central coast of Chile (32° S). By conducting Raman spectroscopic and microscopic analyses we aim to identify the mineral compounds of bone staining and their sedimentary matrix, perform a first geochemical characterization of the depositional environments and carry out paleoenvironmental inferences. Stains are present on most remains and recur in a variety of colors, indicating the presence of minerals, such as hematite, goethite, pyrolusite, pyrite or marcasite, mackinawite, and greigite. Mineral species identified are associated with oxic and anoxic environments, suggesting that the bones and sediments underwent both sulfuricization and sulfidization processes. Spectroscopic data obtained suggest that the trajectory of the remains was much more dynamic than previously assumed. These geochemical scenarios of alternating oxidation and reduction reflects the diverse environments involved during the terrestrial phase, the transitional phase of rising sea level, and subsequently the marine phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The earliest known population of the Atacama Desert coincided with the Central Andean Pluvial Event II (CAPE II), an extensive pluvial event recorded during the Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene (13,800–8,500 cal years BP). A large number of archaeological sites from this period have been found along the borders of the Imilac and Punta Negra (24.5°S) high‐altitude basins (ca. 3,000 masl). By combining the results of proxy data obtained from geomorphological, sedimentological, and paleoecological (rodent middens) archives and the spatial location of archaeological sites and radiocarbon series analyses, this paper examines the links between human activities and paleoenvironmental dynamics at different times during CAPE II in the southern Atacama Desert. This is done at a finer spatial and temporal scale than previous studies. The first archaeological sites (ca. 12,000–11,200 cal years BP) are concomitant with increased paleowetland occurrence frequency. An occupational hiatus is recorded between 11,200 and 10,800 cal years BP, synchronous with a drop in precipitation and wetland development. This is followed by a displacement of the archaeological sites toward the south‐east of the Punta Negra Basin and concomitant again with a second peak of wetland development in the area (10,800–10,400 cal years BP) before the final abandonment of the salt flat margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]