Extreme precipitation events that occurred between March 24 and March 26 of 2015 in the region of the Atacama Desert (26-29 degrees S) left around 30000 victims, being one of the biggest events over the past 50 years, with total a cost of reconstruction of about 1.5 billion dollars. The mudflows which increased during the flashflood inundated much of the city of Copiapo and Tierra Amarilla. This manuscript aims to model the mudflow of March 2015 in the Rio Copiapo, specifically in the towns of Copiapo and Tierra Amarilla. The modeling process is performed using the Rapid Mass Movement Simulation Model (RAMMS) that allows modeling the dynamics of the mudflow in two dimensions, only using the topographic features of the modeling domain. Calibration of the model was carried out successfully using data from inundation heights captured around the city after the 2015 event. A detailed analysis of the hydrometeorological event is carried out using satellite images obtained from Multi-satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA), and pluviometric and hydrographic data available in the Copiapo River basin. The simulation of the flood is reproduced with maps of inundation heights associated with two modeling scenarios. The maximum flood heights are ultimately used for developing risk maps at both sites. According to our results, the RAMMS model is an appropriate tool for modeling mudflow and mapping flood risk to improve hydrological risk management in arid and semiarid basins of Chile.

The Chilean Water Code of 1981 has been presented as a successful case of free-market water reforms. In the northern Atacama Desert, the Atacameño people have developed their indigeneity in the context of the forceful implementation of this radical free market system. This situation invites an examination of the connections between the Chilean state's free-market restructuring of water governance and the process through which indigenous groups claim their identity through water politics. This dissertation addresses the following questions: (Q1) Why and how have the Atacameño people claimed indigeneity within the context of the pro-market water reforms? (Q2) How have Atacameño identity and the water reforms been conceived, articulated, and reproduced in relation to each other? This question is broken down into sub-questions: (Q2a) How do pro-market water reforms and related conflicts inspire indigeneity and water practices among the Atacameños? and (Q2b) How do the articulation of indigeneity and water practices among the Atacameños, in turn, reshape the pro-market water reforms? During fieldwork it became clear that the water market was not as active as I expected and that Atacameños are not selling water rights, but buying them, leading to a third question: (Q3) Why are the Atacameños not selling their water rights to mining companies and urban water supply, despite the extremely high purchasing power of the former, and why have indigenous communities recently become the main buyers of water rights? In answering these questions, this dissertation explores how water management is not just about the management of the management of H20, but is also related to the production of new subjectivities. In the case of the Chilean Water Code of 1981, rather than being a threat to a certain genuine or fixed Atacameño tradition, community, or identity, it is seen as a key catalyst that has allowed a group of people to publically articulate a legitimate indigenous positionality upon particular historical sediments and political economic conditions. Here the Atacameños appear to be articulating their history with contemporary issues, knowledge, and multiple practices in relation to specific current claims about the control of water resources. This fact has questions the water reforms in terms that they were reshaped by the process of identity formation. Indeed, the Atacameños successfully mobilized their identity to partially reject the privatization process, thereby subverting the neoclassical expectations that, within a free market, water should flow toward its highest economic value uses. Finally, this dissertation shows how the Chilean model, rather than being a free market approach to water management that supposes the withdrawal of the state, relies heavily on the state's centralized actions. As such, this dissertation (1) questions the existence of a truly free water market for the allocation of water rights in the Atacameño area (2) highlights the role of the state as the main central and hierarchical source of water allocation for both mining and urban supply companies, and (3) argues that the implementation of the Water Code is another chapter in the history of the state's the internal colonialism of the Atacama Desert.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1967. / Typescript. Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 173-176).

No description available.

The Late Intermediate Period in northern Chile has been strongly influenced by the mobility models of vertical archipelago and the gyratory mobility. The vertical archipelago model proposes altiplano colonies would have lived in the lowlands controlling trade and distributing economic resources. The gyratory mobility suggests trade was rather controlled by pastoralist groups from the highlands, travelling across the Andes using llama caravans. Following new studies on stable isotope analysis for the LIP in the Atacama Desert, there is little evidence to support the colonies hypothesis. For this reason, the aim of this thesis is to evaluate the presence of colonies and specialised highland pastoralist groups in the lowlands of northern Chile through the use of d13C, d15N, d18O and 87Sr/86Sr as well as radiocarbon dating. Human remains were analysed for tooth enamel, bone collagen, bone apatite, and hair-keratin. A second aim of the thesis was to provide new analysis of archaeological plants and animals of the area. Plants results present incredibly high d15N values for the crops, suggesting use of fertilisers on them, probably seabird guano from the coast. This is also supported by the absence of a marine reservoir effect on the radiocarbon dates, reflected in the lack of offset between paired dates of bone collagen and textiles in individuals enriched in 15N. The results obtained for the human remains suggest there is no evidence to support neither the 'colony' hypothesis nor the gyratory mobility model. However, a small number of outlier individuals for d13C, d15N, d18O and 87Sr/86Sr suggest a non-local origin. Mobility patterns were diverse and flexible including female and male individuals that moved at different moments of their life (infancy and adulthood). This study shows that dietary patterns in the Atacama Desert during the LIP were associated with strong local traditions.

This dissertation examines the bacterial diversity of hyperarid and arid regions of the Atacama Desert, Chile, as a first step towards understanding the global biogeochemical significance of arid-land microbial communities. The specific objectives were to characterize bacterial diversity and infer the possible metabolic potential of these bacterial communities, and to evaluate the influence of moisture exposure on community structure. In addition, the strengths and limitations of available tools for probing microbial diversity and activity in terrestrial ecosystems were characterized for their application to extreme oligotrophic communities. Preliminary PCR-DGGE analysis of a west-east elevational transect from the Pacific Ocean near Antofagasta to the western slopes of the central Andes indicated that bacterial communities along this transect belonged to two distinct community types: 1) hyperarid (700 - 2000 m) and 2) arid (2500 - 4500 m) communities that included both vegetated and unvegetated regions. Subsequent diversity analysis of these two regions revealed novel but distinct communities in both regions. A greater diversity was observed in the unvegetated arid regions than in the unvegetated hyperarid areas. The unvegetated arid sites were characterized by a bacterial community harboring a combination of radiotolerant and halotolerant heterotrophs as wells as diverse phylotypes closely related to chemolithoautotrophs. These rare phylotypes may be uniquely adapted to arid ecosystems. Molecular tools evaluated for community diversity analysis included PCR-DGGE, Sanger-clone and 454-pyrosequencing analysis of 16S rRNA gene libraries, and the use of reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) for quantifying the impact of environmental variables on the metabolic activity of a specific organism. These techniques were evaluated using the ecosystems of the Atacama Desert as well as model ecosystems designed to address specific questions. Molecular tools are invaluable to the study of microbial ecology because they facilitate the study of fastidious organisms that are difficult or impossible to culture, but the analysis presented in this dissertation demonstrates that each of these methods has limitations and biases which must be acknowledged to avoid inaccurate conclusions from skewed results. The most complete picture of the taxonomic and functional profile of a microbial community is obtained by employing a combination of molecular techniques.

O deserto de Atacama, no norte do Chile, a despeito da altitude e da aridez que o caracterizam, apresenta evidências da presença humana há pelo menos 13000 anos. San Pedro de Atacama é uma região muito importante deste deserto devido ao grande número de esqueletos arqueológicos ali exumados e ao excelente estado de preservação que o material escavado, seja ele mineral ou orgânico, é encontrado. Equipes independentes de pesquisadores têm colaborado, nos últimos 50 anos, para o entendimento da pré-história atacamenha através de análises do acervo arqueológico e bioantropológico que hoje se encontra sob a guarda do museu arqueológico Padre Gustavo Le Paige. O material analisado neste trabalho é parte integrante da coleção de crânios humanos escavados por Le Paige, coleção que se encontra severamente reduzida por deficiências no processo de cura e guarda. Foram analisadas as patologias bucais de 402 crânios provenientes de 13 sítios arqueológicos de San Pedro de Atacama e Caspana, com o objetivo de inferir a qualidade de vida biológica dessas populações a partir do período Formativo (350 AC) até a chegada Império Inca (1470 AD) nos oásis atacamenhos. Considerando o período de influência do Império Tiwanaku em San Pedro como referência, os períodos Pré Tiwanaku e Pós Tiwanaku foram comparados com o período Tiwanaku (500 a 1000 AD) e também com o sítio Caspana, utilizado como controle externo. As redes de troca que foram intensificadas durante o período Tiwanaku em todos os Andes Centrais disponibilizaram aos oásis de San Pedro de Atacama uma maior variedade de alimentos, diminuindo assim a dependência do milho desta sociedade. Prova disso é a queda significativa das cáries dentárias observada entre o período Pré Tiwanaku e o período Tiwanaku. No mesmo período, foram observados aumentos dos cálculos salivares e das reabsorções periodontais que, associados à queda das cáries dentárias, sugerem o aumento no consumo de proteína e sais minerais pelos atacamenhos. O período subsequente, marcado pela alteração climática responsável pelo desmantelamento do Estado Tiwanaku, afetaria a população dos oásis obrigando-a a retornar ao milho como item principal em sua dieta, fato confirmado pelo aumento das cáries dentárias. A seca característica do período Pós Tiwanaku deve ter pressionado a sociedade atacamenha a intensificar suas técnicas de conservação dos alimentos, sendo esta a mais plausível explicação para o também observado aumento significativo dos cálculos salivares. Os crânios analisados de Caspana apresentaram uma prevalência de cáries dentárias inferior à prevalência observada durante período Pós Tiwanaku em San Pedro de Atacama, sugerindo uma estratégia de subsistência distinta, baseada numa dieta menos cariogênica. O limitado consumo de proteínas e sais minerais como cálcio e potássio também caracterizou a alimentação dos habitantes de Caspana, confirmado pela baixa prevalência de cálculos salivares e reabsorções periodontais. As mulheres apresentaram prevalências mais altas de cárie dentária, cálculo salivar e reabsorção periodontal, indicando um acesso maior aos alimentos, em quantidade ou em frequência, que os indivíduos do sexo masculino. Quanto às deformações cranianas intencionais analisadas nos sítios de San Pedro de Atacama, não foram encontrados sinais de privilégios nutricionais por nenhum grupo estudado, sejam eles não deformados ou deformados, independentemente do período avaliado ou do tipo e angulação da deformação apresentada. / The Atacama Desert in northern Chile, despite the altitude and dryness that characterize it, displays evidence of human presence for at least 13,000 years. San Pedro de Atacama is a very important region of the desert, for the large number of archaeological skeletons that were exhumed and found there and also for the excellent state of preservation in which the excavated material- whether mineral or organic - was found. Independent teams of researchers have collaborated for the past 50 years to the understanding of Atacamenian prehistory, through analysis of the archaeological and the bio anthropological collection, which are now in the custody of the archaeological museum Padre Gustavo Le Paige. The material analyzed in this dissertation is part of the collection of human skulls excavated by Le Paige, a collection now severely reduced due to deficiencies in the process of safekeeping. The oral pathologies of 402 skulls from 13 different archaeological sites of San Pedro de Atacama and Caspana have been analyzed in order to infer the biological quality of life of these populations from the Formative period (350 BC) up to the arrival of the Inca Empire (1470 AD) in the oasis Atacameños. Considering the period of influence of the Tiwanaku Empire in San Pedro as reference, the periods Pre and Post Tiwanaku Tiwanaku were compared with the Tiwanaku period (500-1000 AD) and also with the Caspana site, which was used as an external control. The enhanced networks of exchange during the Tiwanaku period around the whole of the Central Andes have provided the oasis of San Pedro de Atacama greater variety of foods, thereby reducing the reliance this society had on corn. The proof of this is the significant decline in dental caries observed between the pre Tiwanaku and the Tiwanaku periods. During this period, the increase in salivary calculi and periodontal resorption associated to the decrease in dental caries suggests the raise in consumption of protein and minerals by the Atacameños. The subsequent period is marked by a climate change which was responsible for the dismantling of the Tiwanaku state, thus affecting the population of the oasis and forcing it to return to the consumption of corn as the main item in their diet, a fact that is confirmed by the increase in dental caries. The characteristic drought of this period must have driven the Post Tiwanaku Atacamenian society to intensify their food preservation techniques, and that is the most plausible explanation for the also significant raise in salivary calculi. The skulls analyzed from Caspana showed a lower prevalence of dental caries than the ones observed during the Post Tiwanaku period in San Pedro de Atacama, suggesting a distinct livelihood strategy based on a less cariogenic diet. The limited consumption of protein and minerals like calcium and potassium also characterize the food intake of the inhabitants of Caspana, which is confirmed by the low prevalence of salivary calculi and periodontal resorption. The female skulls showed a higher incidence of dental caries, salivary calculus and periodontal resorption, indicating that they had broader access to food, both in quantity and frequency than their male counterparts. Regarding the intentional cranial deformations analyzed here, no signs of nutritional privileges were found on any of the studied groups, whether deformed or not, regardless of the period studied or the type and angle of these deformations.

O deserto de Atacama, no norte do Chile, a despeito da altitude e da aridez que o caracterizam, apresenta evidências da presença humana há pelo menos 13000 anos. San Pedro de Atacama é uma região muito importante deste deserto devido ao grande número de esqueletos arqueológicos ali exumados e ao excelente estado de preservação que o material escavado, seja ele mineral ou orgânico, é encontrado. Equipes independentes de pesquisadores têm colaborado, nos últimos 50 anos, para o entendimento da pré-história atacamenha através de análises do acervo arqueológico e bioantropológico que hoje se encontra sob a guarda do museu arqueológico Padre Gustavo Le Paige. O material analisado neste trabalho é parte integrante da coleção de crânios humanos escavados por Le Paige, coleção que se encontra severamente reduzida por deficiências no processo de cura e guarda. Foram analisadas as patologias bucais de 402 crânios provenientes de 13 sítios arqueológicos de San Pedro de Atacama e Caspana, com o objetivo de inferir a qualidade de vida biológica dessas populações a partir do período Formativo (350 AC) até a chegada Império Inca (1470 AD) nos oásis atacamenhos. Considerando o período de influência do Império Tiwanaku em San Pedro como referência, os períodos Pré Tiwanaku e Pós Tiwanaku foram comparados com o período Tiwanaku (500 a 1000 AD) e também com o sítio Caspana, utilizado como controle externo. As redes de troca que foram intensificadas durante o período Tiwanaku em todos os Andes Centrais disponibilizaram aos oásis de San Pedro de Atacama uma maior variedade de alimentos, diminuindo assim a dependência do milho desta sociedade. Prova disso é a queda significativa das cáries dentárias observada entre o período Pré Tiwanaku e o período Tiwanaku. No mesmo período, foram observados aumentos dos cálculos salivares e das reabsorções periodontais que, associados à queda das cáries dentárias, sugerem o aumento no consumo de proteína e sais minerais pelos atacamenhos. O período subsequente, marcado pela alteração climática responsável pelo desmantelamento do Estado Tiwanaku, afetaria a população dos oásis obrigando-a a retornar ao milho como item principal em sua dieta, fato confirmado pelo aumento das cáries dentárias. A seca característica do período Pós Tiwanaku deve ter pressionado a sociedade atacamenha a intensificar suas técnicas de conservação dos alimentos, sendo esta a mais plausível explicação para o também observado aumento significativo dos cálculos salivares. Os crânios analisados de Caspana apresentaram uma prevalência de cáries dentárias inferior à prevalência observada durante período Pós Tiwanaku em San Pedro de Atacama, sugerindo uma estratégia de subsistência distinta, baseada numa dieta menos cariogênica. O limitado consumo de proteínas e sais minerais como cálcio e potássio também caracterizou a alimentação dos habitantes de Caspana, confirmado pela baixa prevalência de cálculos salivares e reabsorções periodontais. As mulheres apresentaram prevalências mais altas de cárie dentária, cálculo salivar e reabsorção periodontal, indicando um acesso maior aos alimentos, em quantidade ou em frequência, que os indivíduos do sexo masculino. Quanto às deformações cranianas intencionais analisadas nos sítios de San Pedro de Atacama, não foram encontrados sinais de privilégios nutricionais por nenhum grupo estudado, sejam eles não deformados ou deformados, independentemente do período avaliado ou do tipo e angulação da deformação apresentada. / The Atacama Desert in northern Chile, despite the altitude and dryness that characterize it, displays evidence of human presence for at least 13,000 years. San Pedro de Atacama is a very important region of the desert, for the large number of archaeological skeletons that were exhumed and found there and also for the excellent state of preservation in which the excavated material- whether mineral or organic - was found. Independent teams of researchers have collaborated for the past 50 years to the understanding of Atacamenian prehistory, through analysis of the archaeological and the bio anthropological collection, which are now in the custody of the archaeological museum Padre Gustavo Le Paige. The material analyzed in this dissertation is part of the collection of human skulls excavated by Le Paige, a collection now severely reduced due to deficiencies in the process of safekeeping. The oral pathologies of 402 skulls from 13 different archaeological sites of San Pedro de Atacama and Caspana have been analyzed in order to infer the biological quality of life of these populations from the Formative period (350 BC) up to the arrival of the Inca Empire (1470 AD) in the oasis Atacameños. Considering the period of influence of the Tiwanaku Empire in San Pedro as reference, the periods Pre and Post Tiwanaku Tiwanaku were compared with the Tiwanaku period (500-1000 AD) and also with the Caspana site, which was used as an external control. The enhanced networks of exchange during the Tiwanaku period around the whole of the Central Andes have provided the oasis of San Pedro de Atacama greater variety of foods, thereby reducing the reliance this society had on corn. The proof of this is the significant decline in dental caries observed between the pre Tiwanaku and the Tiwanaku periods. During this period, the increase in salivary calculi and periodontal resorption associated to the decrease in dental caries suggests the raise in consumption of protein and minerals by the Atacameños. The subsequent period is marked by a climate change which was responsible for the dismantling of the Tiwanaku state, thus affecting the population of the oasis and forcing it to return to the consumption of corn as the main item in their diet, a fact that is confirmed by the increase in dental caries. The characteristic drought of this period must have driven the Post Tiwanaku Atacamenian society to intensify their food preservation techniques, and that is the most plausible explanation for the also significant raise in salivary calculi. The skulls analyzed from Caspana showed a lower prevalence of dental caries than the ones observed during the Post Tiwanaku period in San Pedro de Atacama, suggesting a distinct livelihood strategy based on a less cariogenic diet. The limited consumption of protein and minerals like calcium and potassium also characterize the food intake of the inhabitants of Caspana, which is confirmed by the low prevalence of salivary calculi and periodontal resorption. The female skulls showed a higher incidence of dental caries, salivary calculus and periodontal resorption, indicating that they had broader access to food, both in quantity and frequency than their male counterparts. Regarding the intentional cranial deformations analyzed here, no signs of nutritional privileges were found on any of the studied groups, whether deformed or not, regardless of the period studied or the type and angle of these deformations.

No description available.

No description available.