For the construction of a historical view of the Los Vilos coastline, located in the semiarid north of Chile, an attempt is made to reach consensus on academic and local knowledge, linking the archaeological, historical and visual archives with the memory of its inhabitants. None of this knowledge is considered subaltern, forming all of it a palimpsest of meanings that contribute to the study of the memory of that territory and reflect the ecosystemic identity of those who inhabit and work on its coastline. In the stories of the present-day vileño fishermen, elements of their marine nomadic past are reiterated, which they ascribe to a “changa” tradition of which they feel a part of.