Taira, the dawn of art in Atacama – 2017
Timeline of the Taira style and other naturalist styles in the Alto Loa river valley.
Map
Kalina-style engraving.
Taira-style picto-engraving.
Milla-style painting.
Taira in time, Taira in space
Between 800 and 400 BC, the Taira style highlights the importance of llamas in the lives of early herders. Images in the same style are found across the highlands of Antofagasta region.
Before Taira, the Kalina style flourished, in which camelids are represented by finely carved lines, with triangular-shaped heads and only two visible feet. That art was created by hunter-gatherer groups that raised guanacos in captivity.
After Taira, the Milla style emerged, with large-format red paintings of camelids in a naturalist style and schematic human figures that can be seen from a great distance. They were created by more recent pre-Hispanic herders.