Paleohydrological changes in highland desert rivers and human occupation, 7000-3000 cal.yr BP, South-Central Andes, Argentina

TCHILINGUIRIAN, PABLO; MAIDANA, NORA; HOCSMAN, SALOMÓN; GRANA, MARÍA LORENA; ESCOLA, PATRICIA SUSANA; TCHILINGUIRIAN, PABLO; MAIDANA, NORA; HOCSMAN, SALOMÓN; GRANA, MARÍA LORENA; ESCOLA, PATRICIA SUSANA

GEOARCHAEOLOGY-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL

JOHN WILEY & SONS INC

Lugar: New York; Año: 2016 vol. 31 p. 412 - 433

0883-6353

This article focuses on the role of local paleohidrological changes within the Las Pitas and Miriguaca Rivers (South-Central Andes, Argentina) on hunter-gatherer societies during their transition into food-producing communities between 7000-3000 cal. yr BP. Our reconstruction of this socio-economic change and local paleoenvironmental reconstruction was based on studies into geomorphology, sedimentology, diatom analysis and modelling. The reconstruction shows a first dry phase between ca. 6700-4800 cal. yr BP in Las Pitas River, and 6600-3000 cal. yr BP in Miriguaca River. A second phase of more humid environmental conditions commenced in the Las Pitas River post-4893 cal. yr BP, while along Miriguaca River this occurred post-3000 cal. yr BP. The difference in the chronology and magnitude of hydrological phases along both rivers can be interpreted by taking into consideration the topographic and hydrological characteristics of their respective watersheds. The hydrological data shows that Las Pitas River seems to have responded better to short humid events recorded during the mid- to late Holocene. The archaeological evidence seems to indicate that the paleohydrological changes along these sub-basins played a significant role in human occupational dynamics. In these circumstances, the Las Pitas River offered better environmental conditions for human occupation vis-à-vis the Miriguaca River.