Abstract

BUSTOS SANTELICES, Víctor  and  VERGARA BORQUEZ, Nelson. EVOLUCIÓN DE LAS PRÁCTICAS MORTUORIAS  EN EL LITORAL DE LA OCTAVA REGIÓN. Chungará (Arica) [online]. 2001, vol.33, n.1, pp.73-78. ISSN 0717-7356.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0717-73562001000100011.

The littoral of the 8th Region presents an intense human occupation consisting in more than 40 archaeological sites, principally shell midden sites characterized by a profound depth of up to 7,2 meters (El Visal) with dates that vary from 4,350 ± 70 B.P. (equivalent to the middle archaic of the South Central Andean zone) until the time of Hispanic contact. Talcahuano 1 presents dates of 3,950 ± 70 B.P. until the late ceramic, and Bellavista 1 presents dates between 3,300 and 3,880 B.P. which correspond to the preceramic (Middle Archaic). In the peripheral zones of all the shell sites there is evidence of mortuary practices that present similarities for the same chronological periods and variations throughout time. In this way, while in the early periods (preceramic) the skeletal remains are in the fetal position on their right sides, in the superior levels they are on their backs and vertical as in Tubul 1-A

Keywords : Bioarchaeology; coastal archaeology.