**Author details**

*Ecosystem and Biodiversity of Amazonia*

*imagining supernatural beings"* ([16], p. 13).

cultural inter-relatedness and exchange.

**6. Conclusions**

*paintings themselves can be treated as persons. For example, the Jíbaro people have ritual songs that are sung directly to body paintings to ask them for a certain type of intervention"* [14 p. 6]. The author therefore proposes that the abstract body painting of Amazonian groups was intended to *"represent complete beings as "incarnations."* This suggests that this geometric, non-figurative Amazonian art was not "iconophobic," but rather played a major role "*in the perpetuation of this tradition of figuratively* 

In this article we have attempted to build our understanding of the visual logic deployed by the Chilean Diaguita people, as expressed in the designs of Diaguita polychrome ceramics. The use of symmetry in Diaguita culture is remarkable. In their pre-Inca designs the highly skilled Diaguita artisans managed to create complex abstract constructs that were highly symmetrical and capable of producing optical effects such as vibration and movement. Without a doubt, these reinforced the active social role of their visual art, in association with a shamanic belief system. Current reflections about Amazonian animism offer extensive opportunities for interpreting pre-Inca Diaguita art, which, as we have previously proposed, seems to be part of a larger cultural tradition that remains alive in different parts of South America, particularly among indigenous groups of the Amazon region. Furthermore, the surprising similarities observed in both the visual art and certain social practices of the Chilean Diaguitas and the Shipibo-Conibo people, despite their spatial and temporal distance, can be better understood by observing the dynamic long-distance cultural contact that likely took place between peoples living in the Bolivian, Andean, and even Amazonian lowlands. If we are to better understand the pre-Hispanic past of the southern cone of the Americas as well as its ethnographic present, we must broaden our perspective and grasp that in the distant past, cultural traditions possessed of a clearly recognizable identity exercised their influence over extensive geographic areas and diverse ecosystems. 3 In the case presented, the analysis of symmetry was crucial in demonstrating that cultural contact did exist, and has proven to be an approach well suited to detecting processes of

It is also interesting to examine the esthetic facet of symmetry, and how it helped define the elusive concept of *beauty.* In the pre-Inca Diaguita representational universe, its function in the creation of highly complex abstract images is evident. At the same time, the painstaking display of symmetry in a significant number of designs from across the entire Diaguita territory demonstrates the social importance that Diaguita artisans attributed to managing and comprehending symmetry. Indeed, the use of symmetry enabled communities in different valleys to affirm their individual identities, while marking Diaguita identity as a whole.

So, how did the Diaguita people conceive of such vessels loaded with symbolic

content? We find it difficult to believe that they were simple, everyday pieces crafted to hold food. Instead, based on their complex iconography and rich esthet-

ics, it would appear that they were invested with an active social role.

**124**

Paola González Carvajal Sociedad Chilena de Arqueología, Santiago, Chile

\*Address all correspondence to: paoglez@gmail.com

© 2020 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
