Valle de Elqui

Elqui River
The Elqui River on the map
Country	Chile
Physical characteristics
Main source	Junction of Turbio River and Claro River (Elqui) 815 m (2,674 ft)
River mouth	Pacific Ocean
Basin features
Basin size	9,826 km2 (3,794 sq mi)

The Elqui River starts in the west Andes and flows into the Pacific Ocean near the Chilean city of La Serena. It is a wine and pisco producing area.Vicuña, the main town of the middle valley, was the home of Nobel Laureate poet Gabriela Mistral.

Several authors argue that the first community that populated the valleys of Chile's Norte Chico were the Molle people, which initially combined farming with hunting and gathering to become, over time, full-time farmers along with the development burnished red pottery, and did work with stone and copper. Notable archaeological sites are Alcohuaz and Cochiguaz where soil and water were available for fruitful farming.

They were advanced in their use of technology, as evidence of their knowledge of metallurgy and its practical applications shows. In the first stage of their development they worked copper by smelting and hammering it and later used gold and silver alloys, as well as employing techniques of rolling, drawing, and embossing. Later on around 1000 A.D. the Diaguita people arrived in the same area. They were named by the archeologist Ricardo Latcham for their similarities to the Argentine Diaguita. They made contact with the Molle culture, from whom they learned to work with copper and other metals. Their pottery consisted of asymmetric, wide mouth, containers, with a handles and usually rendered with red, black and white geometrical motifs.

Over time the Diaguita people began to form their own identity and broke free from the influence of the Molle and reached a growing autonomy. Also of interest is the totemic pottery tradition wherein zoomorphic and anthropomorphic vessels were fashioned. Called duck jugs, they consisted of a hand sculptured human-like head coming out of one side and an opening for filling and pouring on the other side, both of which were joined by a curved handle. The whole thing was painted with fine geometric patterns. In Las Placetas near Paihuano, burial sites from the classic period have been identified which demonstrate the use of land for crops and pasturing. Three Diaguita cemeteries were also discovered nearby.