El Fanoos: The Atacameños

10 April, 2009

The Atacameños

The San Pedro River Valley, home to the Atacameños

The Atacameños are an indigenous people local to the San Pedro River valley, which flows through the driest desert in the world, the Atacama. For thousands of years they farmed this valley, until the arrival of foreign invaders who threatened their way of life. Today, many relatively recent ruins can be visited throughout the region and mummies are on display in San Pedro's museum.

From a sign at Pukara de Quitor (from Quechua: "Quitor Fortress"), a fortified city built on the banks of the San Pedro River to defend against successive invasions of Inca and Spanish conquistadors:

"Atacameños were cattle breeders, farmers, and warriors who defended bravely and fiercely their territories, they were organized at Pukara de Quitor to oppose resistance to the european invader who found people rose in arms no matter the defeats suffered they could resist during twenty years.

"In 1557 a peace treaty was reached which evolved in the surrender of atacameños people. This was the starting point of the adoptions of another culture process of the atacameños ethnic group who couldn't face the deep impact because most of them were baptized with christian names and even Ayllos were changed from the 17th century on the power of spanish magistrates was strengthen and the organization of old Ayllos was restablished because they proved to be very efficient."

Pukara de Quitor was built in a defensive position overlooking the river valley

The large precipice defending Pukara from the north

The dry wash giving Pukara a defensive advantage from the south

The San Pedro River's fertile shores

Around 1536, Spanish conquistadors appeared in the Atacama. Resisting other invasions, Atacameños had already built fortifications, from which they repelled Spanish attacks until 1540. At that time, the Spanish enlisted the help of freed slaves of the Inca to break the defenses of Pukara de Quitor.

Aside from adopting Christianity, Atacameños have retained their identity and culture despite several regional power shifts. When Bolivia claimed independence from Peru in 1825, San Pedro fell under Bolivian control. In 1888, Chile annexed the region by force. In recent times the area has been flooded with foreign tourists seeking a desert retreat. Though the 20th century brought westernization and challenges to land rights, Atacameños continue to farm the San Pedro River valley as their ancestors have done for thousands of years.