PALEOENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES OF THE QUEBRADA DE LAPAO, JUJUY PROVINCE, ARGENTINA (23º 22´ 01" S, 66º 21´ 52,8" W, 3650 M A.S.L.) FOR THE 9400-7300 YRS B.P. SPAN

PABLO TCHILINGUIRIAN Y MARCELO R. MORALES, DE LA LIC. I. BRENDA OXMAN Y DE LA SRTA. MALENA PIROLA

Physical, chemical and biological markers in the Argetine archaeology: Theory, methods and applications

British Archaeological Reports, Archaeopress

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2014; p. 87 - 103

Paleoenvironmental research carried out in the Andes highlands during the past decades has shown great variability in terms of the impact of broad scale climate changes in different environmental settings. In order to address this issue, we have undertaken systematic studies of several localities in the Puna of Argentina oriented to modeling past environmental scenarios for human adaptation in the area. In this paper we summarize the main results obtained by multi-proxy analysis -mainly diatoms, pollen, and geomorphology- carried out in the Quebrada de Lapao, located at 3650 m a.s.l. in the Dry Puna of the Jujuy Province. In general terms, a wetland environment that included a water body developed in the headwaters of Lapao between 9400 and 7700 yrs B.P. (i.e. between 10,500 and 8500 cal. yrs B.P.). This was followed by an alluvial event that formed a more unstable and brackish wetland between 7700 and 7550 yrs B.P. (i.e. 8500 and 8300 cal. yrs B.P.). These results also suggest that there was a complex array of local and regional factors involved in the fluvial responses to environmental change at Lapao, including: a) the catchment area of the system, b) the characteristics of climate changes, and c) the evolution of base level at the Pastos Chicos - De las Burras basin (i.e. the outflow system of Lapao). We consider that these results are central for archaeological studies in the area, in order to model past Puna landscapes in terms of differential stability and space-time availability of resources. From this perspective, the similarities and differences found among local environments present a promising opportunity in terms of spatial stratification for future archaeological modeling.