Holocene variations in Lake Titicaca water level and their implications for sociopolitical developments in the central Andes

Guédron, Stéphane; Delaere, Christophe; Fritz, Sherilyn C.; Tolu, Julie; Sabatier, Pierre; Devel, Anne-Lise; Heredia, Carlos; Vérin, Claire; Alves, Eduardo Queiroz; Baker, Paul A.

doi:10.1073/pnas.2215882120

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…This extended process of farming intensification among Andean communities involved the implementation of productive strategies that were well-suited to the specific crops, soils, and limited water resources in these arid and challenging landscapes (i.e., subterranean water management, increasing irrigation technology, sunken fields, flooding agriculture, consortium cultivation etc. 77 ), modulated by changing environmental conditions 16 , 78 – 80 . These technological improvements probably did not occur at the same time and not necessarily were related to the same factors in each subregion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of farming and fishing in the rise of social complexity in the Central Andes: a stable isotope perspective

Pezo-Lanfranco,

Colonese

2024

Sci Rep

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For many years, the rise of stratified societies along the Central Andean coast, known as the birthplace of Andean civilization, has been closely linked to a marine-oriented economy. This hypothesis has recently been challenged by increasing evidence of plant management and cultivation among Andean populations long before the emergence of complex societies and monumental architecture. The extent to which marine and plant-based economies were integrated and their contributions to early sedentism, population growth, and intra-community stratification, however, remain subjects of ongoing and contentious debate. Using Bayesian Mixing Models we reanalyze the previously published stable isotopes (δ15Ncollagen, δ13Ccollagen, δ13Capatite) values of 572 human individuals from 39 archaeological sites in the Central Andes dated between ca. 7000 BCE and 200 CE to reconstruct dietary regimes in probabilistic terms. Our results reveal that fish, terrestrial fauna, and cultivated plants variably contributed to the diet of prehistoric Andean populations; in coastal and middle valley settlements plant cultivation, not fishing, fueled the development of the earliest complex societies during the Formative Period (from 3000 BCE). Similarly, in the highlands the societies that built ceremonial centers show a plant-based economy. Our findings also show that maize only became a staple food (> 25% dietary contribution) in more recent phases of Andean prehistory, around 500 BCE.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of farming and fishing in the rise of social complexity in the Central Andes: a stable isotope perspective

Pezo-Lanfranco,

Colonese

2024

Sci Rep

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“…These processes coincided with, and were likely exacerbated by, a prolonged phase of aridity and climatic volatility evident in several palaeoclimate proxies (e.g. Abbott et al 1997;Bird et al 2011;Thompson et al 2013;Guédron et al 2023). Nevertheless, significant regional differences imply that sociopolitical trajectories followed diverse paths (Covey 2008;Arkush et al in press).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Abbott et al 1997; Bird et al 2011; Thompson et al 2013; Guédron et al . 2023). Nevertheless, significant regional differences imply that sociopolitical trajectories followed diverse paths (Covey 2008; Arkush et al in press).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new view of hillforts in the Andes: expanding coverage with systematic imagery survey

Arkush,

Kohut,

Housse

et al. 2023

Antiquity

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In the Andean highlands, hilltop fortifications known as pukaras are common. Dating predominantly to the Late Intermediate Period (AD 1000–1450), pukaras are important to archaeological characterisations of a political landscape shaped by conflict but the distribution of these key sites is not well understood. Here, the authors employ systematic satellite imagery survey to provide a contiguous picture of pukara distribution on an inter-regional scale covering 151 103km2 in the south-central highlands of Peru. They highlight the effectiveness of such survey at identifying pukaras and capturing regional variability in size and residential occupation, and the results demonstrate that satellite surveys of high-visibility sites can tackle research questions at larger scales of analysis than have previously been possible.

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“…The cores collected in the course of this project were sampled extensively for lithological, sedimentological, geochemical, palynological, diatom and other analyses, which were constrained by age models derived from dozens of AMS radiocarbon dates (Paduano et al, 2003;Rowe et al, 2002;Rowe et al, 2003;Tapia et al, 2003). More recent research continues including occasional collections of both short and long cores and their study often involving interdisciplinary collaborations with archaeologists (Guédron et al, 2023;Guédron et al, 2021;Weide et al, 2017).…”

Section: Northern Altiplano and Lake Titicacamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Archaeological and Paleoecological Radiocarbon Dating in Bolivia

Capriles

2023

Open Quaternary

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Radiocarbon dating is one of the most useful and widely used chronometric techniques available for archaeologists and other paleo-scientists. Although generally used for answering specific research questions, radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites have become increasingly used to reconstruct population change at meso and macro temporal and spatial scales, and Bayesian modeling of locally and regionally available dates is facilitating interrogating the synchronicity, correlation, and interaction among various socioecological variables. Because the results of these meta-analyses largely depend on the available data, comprehensive compilations of radiocarbon dates and their associated information are critically important. Moreover, a thorough assessment of these compilations can reveal research spatiotemporal foci, trends, and biases, which should be considered when meta-analyses are attempted. In this review, based on the recently compiled Bolivian Radiocarbon Database, I provide a general assessment of the temporal, geographic, and thematic interests that have driven archaeological and paleoecological research in Bolivia over the last seven decades. Along with a detailed review of research in three broad geographical regions (Andean highlands, inter-Andean valleys, and tropical lowlands), I encourage researchers interested in meta-analysis to critically consider biases in data compilations by means of increased engagement with local experts and interdisciplinary collaboration.

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Holocene variations in Lake Titicaca water level and their implications for sociopolitical developments in the central Andes

Cited by 15 publications

References 73 publications

The role of farming and fishing in the rise of social complexity in the Central Andes: a stable isotope perspective

The role of farming and fishing in the rise of social complexity in the Central Andes: a stable isotope perspective

A new view of hillforts in the Andes: expanding coverage with systematic imagery survey

A Review of Archaeological and Paleoecological Radiocarbon Dating in Bolivia

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