Dr. Adrián Oyaneder, a researcher at the University of Exeter, is using innovative methods to recreate the effects of ancient human activities on ancient ecosystems. His research examines the Andean high plains of northern Chile. Dr. Oyaneder studied a large area of 4,600 square kilometers in the Camarones River Basin. Through his research, he mapped nearly 800 small-scale settlements and discovered a total of 76 of the unusual hunting traps, known as chacus. This historic, new research opens up exciting new questions about the social structure and hunting practices of these early settlers of the region.
To do so, Dr. Oyaneder used publicly available satellite data. He was particularly interested in upland regions that were largely ignored by academic outsiders up until that point. His discoveries provide a fresh perspective on the unique Andean environment and life of those who flourished there. The research period was four months. It identified over a thousand archaeological sites in the Western Valleys, many of which had been previously undocumented, further illustrating the vast history of human habitation in the region.
The Chacus: Ingenious Hunting Traps
Dr. Oyaneder’s findings are nothing short of stunning. Among the most remarkable are chacus, funnel-shaped mega traps specially designed to ensnare quarry in high-altitude ecosystems. These traps are constructed predominantly with dry-stone walls. They consist of two parallel V-shaped “antennae” that funnel animals into a central trap, which is 95 square meters and two deep.
The traps are about 1.5 meters tall and about 150 meters long. Dr. Oyaneder thinks that these tools were primarily used to capture vicuñas. Vicuñas, the wild ancestors of the domesticated alpaca, have roamed this high-altitude landscape for centuries. Given their vast numbers and geographic distribution, the only logical explanation is that these traps were built by hunters and pastoralists. They probably traveled strategically around the highlands to locate critical resources.
“Initially, I thought it was a bit of a unique occurrence, but as I progressed with my survey, I realized that they were everywhere in the highlands and in a quantity never previously recorded in the Andes.” – Dr. Adrián Oyaneder
Historical Context and Discrepancies
Dr. Oyaneder’s study not only highlights the physical structures left by ancient communities but addresses discrepancies between archaeological findings and historical records regarding life in northern Chile’s Western Valleys during the colonial period. In his region, he explains, archaeological studies indicate hunting and gathering intensified until 2,000 B.C. Written accounts from the 16th to 19th centuries refer to nomadic foraging groups as “Uru.” Often, colonizers perceived these groups as having minimal economic worth.
“There has long been a discrepancy between what archaeological and ethnohistorical records have told us about life in the Western Valleys of northern Chile during the colonial period,” – Dr. Adrián Oyaneder
Dr. Oyaneder is keen to highlight that the picture the evidence he’s collected has created is very different. He posits that these groups occupied the landscape from as early as 6,000 B.C. up until the 18th century, adapting their strategies as environmental conditions and resource availability changed.
“The picture that emerges is of a landscape occupied by a range of human groups from at least 6000 B.C. to the 18th century,” – Dr. Adrián Oyaneder
Implications for Future Research
Dr. Oyaneder’s research offers new and important context to these ancient practices. Simultaneously, it evokes some fascinating questions about the advent of human activity in the Andes. Chacus likely preceded those in use by the Inkas. This latter possibility implies that pre-Hispanic cultures created sophisticated hunting methods long before the emergence of Incan culture.
These perspectives contradict current romanticized understandings of the shift from hunting and gathering to farming in the area. Dr. Oyaneder asserts that this complexity illustrates how various groups strategically navigated their environments while relying heavily on hunting resources, particularly vicuña.
“These groups moved strategically across the highlands, tethered primarily to hunting resources, particularly vicuña.” – Dr. Adrián Oyaneder