Reflections on archaeological heritage and indigenous peoples in Chile

This article is an attempt to awaken archaeologists to the new demands from different groups of society, especially indigenous peoples, regarding the preservation and appropriate use of their archaeological heritage. It analyzes the New World context of heritage policies and the way in which archaeologists have had to adapt and focus their objectives and methods. It presents a brief comparative analysis and explains the Chilean situation, especially as regards the conditions that have resulted from recent legislation on indigenous and environmental topics, and how, from the state's perspective, work has been done with indigenous people.