Inhabited High-Altitude Territories: Settlement Patterns in the Southern Andes and Their Relationship to Contemporary Resettlement Processes Territorios de altura habitados: estudio de formas de asentamiento en el sur andino en contraste con procesos de reasentamiento contemporáneos

High-Andean territories located above 3,500 meters above sea level encompass settlement patterns that form complex territorial systems. Understanding these systems is essential for guiding contemporary resettlement processes driven by the overlap between traditional settlements and mining concessions. This study aims to propose design guidelines for future resettlement processes in High-Andean contexts of the Global South. Through a multiscalar approach and comparative case study analysis, it identifies relationships between natural ecosystem factors and formal anthropic elements, revealing territorial configurations shaped by geomorphological criteria and ecosystem-based interpretations, as well as adaptive infrastructures that stand in contrast to current resettlement models.