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GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FROM DESERT LOESS IN THE NAZCA–PALPA REGION, SOUTHERN PERU: PALAEOENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES AND THEIR IMPACT ON PRE‐COLUMBIAN CULTURES*
Abstract
The paper presents proxies from an interdisciplinary geoarchaeological working group. Sediment analyses and geomorphological studies, radiocarbon ages of snail shells and luminescence dating of loess allow a preliminary chronology of the environmental evolution of the eastern Atacama desert, Nazca–Palpa region (southern Peru). Until now, typical desert loess was unknown from the arid western flank of the Andes (southern Peru). The loess points to periods of more humid conditions with open grasslands at the eastern Atacama desert margin in the early and middle Holocene. In the footzone of the Andes, aridification set in before the Paracas Culture (c. 800–200 bc) evolved, but the Cordillera Occidental remained semi‐arid. A second push of increasing aridity started at the latest in the Middle Nazca Period (after ad 250). During this time, the Nazca settlement centres moved upstream through the river oasis, following the eastward‐shifting desert margin. It is possible that culminating aridity after ad 600 caused the collapse of the Nazca civilization. During the Late Intermediate Period (ad 1000–1400), more humid conditions favoured the massive reoccupation of the eastern Atacama up to a distance of about 40 km from the Pacific coast. Since the 14th and 15th centuries, the Palpa region has again been part of the hyper‐arid Atacama. The study shows that in the Nazca–Ica region, the deep cultural changes of Pre‐Columbian civilizations were not caused by catastrophic run‐off of El Niño events, but by a shifting eastern desert margin due to the changing monsoonal influence.
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Previous research suggests that the construction of terraces and their intensive use in the Laramate area in pre-Hispanic periods can be associated with more favourable climatic conditions than those observed today.
“Previous research suggests that the construction of terraces and their intensive use in the Laramate area in pre-Hispanic periods can be associated with more favourable climatic conditions than those observed today.”
From The impact of agriculture on tropical mountain soils in the western peruvian andes: a pedo-geoarchaeological study of terrace agricultural systems in the laramate region (14.5° S) (2024) · cites this paper as Eitel et al., 2005
The fine-grained sediments in Ah1 and Ah2 of Pe10-32 primarily consist of allochthonous material transported by air, likely originating from loess archives of the western Andean foothills referred to as "desert margin loess".
“This suggests that the fine-grained sediments in Ah1 and Ah2 primarily consist of allochthonous material transported by air, likely originating from the loess archives of the western Andean foothills referred to as “desert margin loess” (Eitel et al., 2005; Mächtle, 2007).”
From The impact of agriculture on tropical mountain soils in the western peruvian andes: a pedo-geoarchaeological study of terrace agricultural systems in the laramate region (14.5° S) (2024) · cites this paper as Eitel et al., 2005
The Late Intermediate period (1000-1450 CE) was characterized hydrologically by highly variable conditions, featuring phases of both dry and humid conditions.
“The Late Intermediate period (1000–1450 CE) was characterized hydrologically by highly variable conditions, featuring phases of both dry and humid conditions (Eitel et al., 2005; Mächtle, 2007; Schittek et al., 2015).”
From The impact of agriculture on tropical mountain soils in the western peruvian andes: a pedo-geoarchaeological study of terrace agricultural systems in the laramate region (14.5° S) (2024) · cites this paper as Eitel et al., 2005
As the desert fringe receded westward across the Cordillera Occidental, the adoption of terracing extended to lower elevations.
“As the desert fringe receded westward across the Cordillera Occidental (Eitel et al., 2005; Mächtle, 2007; Schittek et al., 2015), the adoption of terracing extended to lower elevations.”
From The impact of agriculture on tropical mountain soils in the western peruvian andes: a pedo-geoarchaeological study of terrace agricultural systems in the laramate region (14.5° S) (2024) · cites this paper as Eitel et al., 2005
En el contexto de los cambios climáticos globales, la corriente monzonal muestra cambios en su intensidad, lo cual produjo en varios instantes cambios del límite del desierto y una variación en el caudal de los ríos de la vertiente occidental de los Andes.
“esta corriente monzonal muestra cambios en su intensidad, lo cual produjo en varios instantes cambios del límite del desierto y una variación en el caudal de los ríos de la vertiente occidental de los Andes (Eitel et al., 2005;Mächtle, 2007).”
From Cambio climático y patrones de asentamiento en la vertiente occidental de los andes del sur del perú (2013) · cites this paper as Eitel et al., 2005
El descubrimiento de extensos yacimientos de löss en las faldas de los cerros en la región de Palpa fue el punto de partida de las investigaciones paleoclimatológicas.
“El punto de partida de las investigaciones fue el descubrimiento de extensos yacimientos de löss en las faldas de los cerros en la región de Palpa”
From Cambio climático y patrones de asentamiento en la vertiente occidental de los andes del sur del perú (2013) · cites this paper as Eitel et al., 2005
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Cambio climático y patrones de asentamiento en la vertiente occidental de los andes del sur del perú
Reindel, M., & Isla, J. (2013) · Diálogo andino · doi:10.4067/s0719-26812013000100006 · Cited by 22
Self-citationLeceta, F., Binder, C., Mader, C., Mächtle, B., Marsh, E., Dietrich, L., Reindel, M., Eitel, B., & Meister, J. (2024) · Soil · doi:10.5194/soil-10-727-2024 · Cited by 14
Self-citationMader, C., Godde, P., Hägele, E., Lyons, M., Weber, A., Odenthal, R., Stryjski, P., Binder, C., Leceta, F., Isla, J., et al. (2025) · Geoarchaeology · doi:10.1002/gea.70002 · Cited by 5
Self-citationBilotti, G., Reindel, M., Isla, J., & Mader, C. (2025) · Journal of Archaeological Science · doi:10.1016/j.jas.2025.106385 · Cited by 2
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Metadata
- Authors
- EITEL, B., HECHT, S., MÄCHTLE, B., SCHUKRAFT, G., KADEREIT, A., WAGNER, G. A., KROMER, B., UNKEL, I., & REINDEL, M.
- Venue
- Archaeometry
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2005-02
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 137-158
- ISSN
- 0003-813X
- 1475-4754
- Cited by
- 75
- References
- 0
- Language
- en
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