“Se instaló el diablo en el Salar”

Abstract

The capital and mining that has been in the Antofagasta region since the late 19th century brought profound social and environmental transformation. The deep-rooted process finds continuity and expansion in today’s lithium mining of the Atacama salt flats (Salar de Atacama). The ethnic dimension of collective action in this territory since the 1990s has redefined intercultural relations. In the second decade of this century, mining companies and Atacameño organizations agreed to direct money transfers as compensation for the negative impacts of mining operations, especially on the water balance. The communities’ negotiation and territorial management strategies have raised strong questioning within and among Atacameño organizations, shifting the traditional communities vs. companies conflict to within the indigenous organizations. This article describes this new stage of Atacameño organization and mobilization.