Paleoenvironments and human occupation in the El Bolsón Valley of northwest Argentina (province of Catamarca, dept. of Belén)

Abstract

Using an interdisciplinary perspective that integrates archaeological, geomorphological, and palynological data, this work analyzes the relationship between environmental changes and cultural landscapes in the El Bolsón Valley in the province of Catamarca, Argentina. The palynological and sedimentological studies took place using a sediment core extracted from a seasonal lake, while the geomorphological studies made use of stratified fluvial deposits. The palynological sequence indicates that wetter conditions existed at 6400 cal BP, but that this wetness decreased to create the current more arid conditions along with increases in anthropogenic disturbance. There is also evidence for intense processes of sediment accumulation and erosion, including changes in the uses of space by human populations as recorded for the last 2000 years in fine deposits from the valley floor. The present work also makes an effort to insert this local history into its broader context, in order to contribute to existing knowledge regarding late Holocene changes at the regional level.