Imagining the Atacama Desert : a five hundred year journey of discovery /
Widely regarded as the driest place on earth, the seemingly desolate Atacama Desert of Chile is a place steeped in intrigue and haunted by collective memories. This book, based on archival research and the author's personal field work, brings together the works of geographers, historians, anthr...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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Salt Lake City :
University of Utah Press,
[2018]
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| Summary: | Widely regarded as the driest place on earth, the seemingly desolate Atacama Desert of Chile is a place steeped in intrigue and haunted by collective memories. This book, based on archival research and the author's personal field work, brings together the works of geographers, historians, anthropologists, botanists, geologists, astronomers, novelists and others to offer a nuanced understanding of this complex desert landscape. Beginning with the indigenous Atacameño peoples at the southern edge of the Incan Empire, the volume moves through five hundred years of history, sharing accounts written by Spanish, French, German, Dutch, British, American and other travelers pirates, scientists, explorers and entrepreneurs among them. The Atacama's austere landscape hides many secrets, including vast mineral wealth, the world's oldest mummies and the more recent remains of dissidents murdered by the regime of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in the early 1970s. Today, numerous observatories operate under the Atacama's clear night skies, astronauts train on the rugged desert floor and tourists flock there for inspiration. In addition to a rich set of narratives, the book features 115 images historical maps, photographs and natural history illustrations, most in full color to tell a more complete and compelling story. Imagining the Atacama Desert shows how what was once a wilderness at the edges of empire became one of South America's most iconic regions, one that continues to lure those seeking adventure and the unknown. |
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| Physical Description: | xviii, 435 pages : chiefly color illustrations, maps (some color) ; 26 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781607816102 1607816105 |