Caleta Huelén-42: Revaluación de un sitio con arquitectura de cazadores-recolectores-pescadores del Desierto de Atacama, norte de Chile

Caleta Huelén-42 is a key site for understanding the emergence of architecture and social complexity among maritime hunter-gatherers of the Atacama Desert. Despite its importance, stratigraphic and contextual data have remained limited and difficult to integrate into regional syntheses since research was interrupted 50 years ago. This study resumes work at the site and reconstructs its formation sequence using new geomatic, stratigraphic, and radiocarbon data obtained through low-impact methods. Adopting a sediment-centered approach, we offer a detailed stratigraphic analysis and propose a sequence that diverges from the traditional “village” model historically attributed to this settlement. Results show that (1) the site is larger than previously recognized, (2) the shell midden predates architecture, (3) the use-construction phase of the architecture did not produce extensive domestic deposits but rather construction-related strata, and (4) the structures were intentionally covered with sediment, suggesting closure rituals. Overall, the results demonstrate that there was a complex interplay of architectural, sedimentary, and funerary practices, driven by socially orchestrated depositional acts. These insights offer new perspectives on the role of architecture among hunter-gatherer societies along the Atacama coast.