Hunting, Gathering, and Fishing on the Coast of the Atacama Desert: Chinchorro Population Mobility Patterns Inferred from Strontium Isotopes

We discuss how the Chinchorro population of hunter-gatherers and fishermen organized their mobility patterns between the rich marine ecosystems of the Pacific coast and the extreme hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert through the application of strontium isotopes (Sr-87/Sr-86). We analyzed tooth enamel samples of 35 individuals from the coast (n = 28), inland oasis (n = 6), and the Andean highlands (n = 1). The Sr isotopic composition of modern and archaeological bone samples from sea mammals and land herbivores were obtained from 10 localities. Coastal human individuals show a similar Sr signal to sea mammals, confirming that the former were born and raised in the littoral zone. These results along with archaeological data suggest that the Chinchorro maintained logistic mobility along the coast. Similarly, a woman buried in the highlands (Patapatane) has a Sr signal closer to marine values, suggesting that some Chinchorro also maintained a logistic mobility linked to the Andean interior. In contrast, the Sr ratios of individuals from the inland oasis (Tiliviche) are intermediate between marine Sr values and those of local fauna. This seems to indicate that, although these Chinchorro individuals were raised in this oasis, they were part of a broad logistic mobility pattern connected with the coast.