Historia arquitectónica de Tarapacá: estrategias residenciales y formación de asentamientos, Siglos X AC a XVII DC (Andes Centro Sur)

Abstract

This paper presents a regional synthesis of settlements and residential building patterns inTarapaca region, between Xth BC and XVIIth AD centuries. Distribution, variability andtransformations on sites plans and domestic space design shows a long-term process, where theformal patterns of the domestic structures reveal gradual or radical changes in the organizationor social structure of local communities during the Formative, Late Intermediate and Inca-Colonial period. Theoretical framework and settlement analysis allow us an inter-site perspectiveof pre-Hispanic architecture in areas of excellent material preservation, using a standardizedmethodology. The research points out the potential of systematic reading of domesticarchitecture´s behaviour to understand long term regional history in South-Central Andes.