@article {, title = {Palaeoindian occupation of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile}, journal = {Journal of Quaternary Science}, volume = {20}, number = {7-8}, year = {2005}, note = {10.1002/jqs.969}, pages = {643-653}, abstract = {Palaeoindian occupation of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile has been found between 12~600 and 10~200~cal.~yr~BP. The new site at Salar Punta Negra (24{\textdegree}28?S/60{\textdegree}53?W/2976~m) includes about 1000 classifiable, mostly unifacial artefacts and, uniquely, three different diagnostic types of early projectile points. Two of the Lateglacial/early Holocene projectile types have wide distribution and are known from different geographical areas in South America: the Palaeoindian ?Fell? fish-tail point mainly from the southern cone of South America, and the triangular ?Tuina? points typical of the Puna of the south-central Andes in northern Chile and northwestern Argentina. In addition, we found a third type, a stemmed point typical for the Salar Punta Negra. Filling a large geographical gap of ?Fell? occupation, the site at Salar Punta Negra provides evidence for generally much higher mobility and diversity of early cultures, and supports an Andean-Pacific route for early human exploration of South America to the south through the desert at intermediate altitudes. Contemporaneous high-amplitude climatic changes were fundamental preconditions to provide adequate environments and habitats, and to make Palaeoindian hunting-gathering occupation possible in the Atacama Desert. Copyright {\textcopyright} 2005 John Wiley \& Sons, Ltd.}, isbn = {1099-1417}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jqs.969 }, author = {Martin Grosjean and N{\'u}{\~n}ez, Lautaro and Isabel Cartajena} }