Los Caciques. A Reflection On The Social Congregation Events Of The El Vergel Cultural Complex In The Middle Course Of The Cautín River. Southern Chile

Abstract

The following article presents the site Los Caciques, a site ascribable to El Vergel cultural complex (1000-1500 A.D.) originally located on the top of the Conun Huenu hill in the commune of Padre Las Casas, Southern Chile. The ceramic assemblage of the site is described through the identification of vessel categories, their attributes, and proportions. A characterization of reche-mapuche feasts is made through documentary sources; this considering the direct historical relationship between El Vergel and reche-mapuche populations. On the basis of both lines of evidence, Los Caciques is proposed as a site of social congregation.