Painted stones at the mouth of the Loa River (Atacama desert, Chile)

Abstract

This paper describes new evidence of coastal rock paintings, recorded during surveys conducted at the mouth of the Loa River (Antofagasta Region, Chile). The spatial characterization of the sites, the attributes of the supports, panels and paintings are presented. It is proposed that these new evidences are positioned as one more antecedent to discuss the particular visual expressions of the populations that inhabited the arid coast of Chile prior to Spanish contact. Based on the case study, other lines of action are proposed to approach and study rock art.