Continuities and discontinuities in the socio-environmental systems of the Atacama Desert during the last 13,000 years

Abstract

Understanding how human societies interacted with environmental changes is a major goal of archaeology and other socio-natural sciences. In this paper, we assess the human-environment interactions in the Pampa del Tamarugal (PDT) basin of the Atacama Desert over the last 13,000 years. By relying on a socioenvironmental model that integrates ecosystem services with adaptive strategies, we review past climate changes, shifting environmental conditions, and the continuities and discontinuities in the nature and intensity of the human occupation of the PDT. As a result we highlight the importance of certain key resources such as water, an essential factor in the long-term trajectory of eco-historical change. Without water the outcome of human societies becomes hazardous.

Loco or no Loco? Holocene Climatic Fluctuations, Human Demography, and Community Based Management of Coastal Resources in Northern Chile

“…This is particularly true for the coastal Atacama Desert, where shellfish are abundant, easy to catch as they live in large aggregations either on tidally exposed rocks or sandy beaches, and are not subject to seasonal variations, although when affected by warm El Niño events, new species show up in replacement within a short period of time. This is in stark contrast with the Atacama Desert inland resources (plant and animals), which were scarce, highly unpredictable, and spread out over such large areas that people were almost completely circumscribed to coastal habitats until the late Holocene (Grosjean et al, 2007;Gayo et al, 2012Gayo et al, , 2015Santoro et al, 2017). Moreover, inland camps were maintained by seafood transported from the coast up to 20-30 km (Núñez, 1986b).…”

Beyond Site Detection: The Role of Satellite Remote Sensing in Analysing Archaeological Problems. A Case Study in Lithic Resource Procurement in the Atacama Desert, Northern Chile

“…In order to challenge the aforementioned vision, the different paleoenvironmental and social scenarios that could have promoted or restricted more stable and/or intense human occupation in the core of the Atacama Desert, must be evaluated [54,75,76].…”

“…The extreme and long-standing aridity of the Central Depression [55,56,69,71], except during phases of relatively more humid conditions [72][73][74][75][76], has always hindered stable human occupation. The main relief features correspond to, from west to east, a narrow litoral platform, a steep coastal range (Cordillera de la Costa), a longitudinal central valley or Central Depression, the foothills of the Andes (represented in the area by the Cordillera de Domeyko) and, finally, the higher-level Andes and the Altiplano [64].…”

“…The extreme and long-standing aridity of the Central Depression [55,56,69,71], except during phases of relatively more humid conditions [72][73][74][75][76], has always hindered stable human occupation. Accordingly, settlement patterns have historically been anchored to the coastal environments, which are richer in biotic resources [45,47,50,77,78].…”

Territorios hidrosociales en las geografías altoandinas del Norte de Chile: modernización y conflictos en la región de Tarapacá1.

“…De esta forma, Núñez et al (2010) proponen que el agua es el elemento más importante a la hora de comprender los cambios socioambientales de la región, ubicada en pleno desierto de Atacama. Por otro lado, Santoro, et al, (2017) y Gayo, et al, (2012b) establecen una estrecha relación entre los periodos de anomalías hidroclimáticas positivas (asociados a una mayor disponibilidad de servicios ecosistémicos: agua, vegetación ripariana y fauna) y el desarrollo de estrategias socioculturales y espaciales para aprovechar estos periodos de abundancia relativa de recursos. Asimismo, Marquet, et al, (2012) plantean que la ocupación humana de las quebradas y costa de Tarapacá se relaciona directamente con los episodios de anomalías hidroclimáticas positivas.…”