Precolumbian Water Management in the Andean Puna and Neotropical Forests of NW Argentina: Strategies for Sustainability in Contrasting Environments

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Water Management in the Andes: Past, Present, and Future" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Agropastoral landscapes in South America boast complex and diverse geographies and histories. Numerous investigations have revealed that the contrasting environments in the Andes, far from remaining pristine, underwent extensive transformations by past human societies, which have had lasting repercussions on their biodiversity and soil morphology. In this study, our objective is to assess and compare the water management techniques employed by precolumbian communities in the high Andean plateaus and the eastern Neotropical forests of NW Argentina, using an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates soil analysis (microremains and biomarkers), spatial analysis, and ethnographic research. The examined occupations in the arid Andean region of Cusi Cusi (Jujuy, Argentina) span from AD 1200 throughout the Inka and colonial periods. Meanwhile, our case study in the eastern forests of Catamarca province covers a period between AD 500 and 1000, marked by extreme climatic fluctuations. This research aims to shed light on both the positive and negative outcomes of the techniques employed in these highly contrasting environments, with a primary focus on their sustainability.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Water Management in the Andes: Past, Present, and Future   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40006.0