Resonant Temporalities in the Rock Pictograph Alto El Loa, Antofagasta Chile

Abstract

This paper critically reflects on the tensions that arise when attempting to recognize the rock pictographs of the Alto Loa region as intangible cultural heritage (ICH) under the criteria established by the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO (2003). Focusing on the case of the rock inscriptions located in Taira, Lasana, and Chiu Chiu, it proposes a situated reading that acknowledges their spiritual dimension and considers the links between territory and temporality from a relational ontology. It is argued that, although the original practices have ceased, current communities activate contemporary forms of relationship with these pictographs, configuring other ways of knowing and doing. From this perspective, the model proposed by official heritage frameworks is questioned, and the need to decenter dominant epistemic paradigms is raised in order to address alternative forms of continuity and temporality. This approach advocates for a more relational and situated understanding of heritage that recognizes the cultural agency of the people who are part of and create that space.