Atacama Culture Accumulation Cycle: the Tradition of Excavating and Exhibiting in the 19th and 20th Centuries

Abstract

This paper deals with the relationship between Bruno Latour's accumulation cycle theory and the sequence of the tradition of excavating and exhibiting in archaeology, focused on the Pre-Colombian Atacameña culture of Atacama Desert; how the contributions and research changes of varied pieces excavated since the 19th century started filling out the glass cabinets of European, North American and Chilean museums until the appearance of San Pedro de Atacama Museum, which led to the reformulation of hypotheses and evidence about the Pre-Colombian cultural horizons of Atacama people.