Title: The construction of the habitability in the Andean communities of the

Atacama Desert
Name: Rosa Chandia Jaure; Albert Cuchi Burgos
Institution: Universitat Politcnica de Catalunya. (UPC)

Summary
In light of the inefficient model of territory organization and resource management,
which is defined by the use of fossil fuels, it is necessary to generate a knowledge base
about development models that have been able to guarantee resource availability over
time. Traditional societies, whose rigorous ability to adapt to the predefined conditions
of the biophysical sphere in which they live, construct a landscape by using a body of
knowledge of local technologies and by generating positive interactions in the
environment, which is favorable in terms of productivity and as a result, for the
habitability.
It is significant to study the traditional technical strategies of territory organization and
control, especially in arid areas, such as those of the Andean peoples of the Atacama
Desert, who learned and inherited knowledge about spatial distribution, irrigation and
water management, and the use of local materials and residues. This knowledge is
complemented by a cultural system of internal control by the community that depends
on rules of reciprocity and exchange for the persistence of habitability over time.
Learning these strategies allows the development of a sustainable vision for habitat
management and the possibility of future intervention in landscape and city
development.

Five keywords:
Traditional knowledge, landscape, water management, sustainability, arid territory.