Mid-Holocene paleoenvironments in Northwestern Argentina: Main patterns and discrepancies

Abstract

This paper summarizes the available paleoenvironmental information for the Mid-Holocene in Northwestern Argentina, in order to systematize a multi-scale scenario for human adaptation in the area. The main results of the studies carried out by several research teams that have studied the conditions during this period in the tropical Andean region are described and compared, taking into account their geographical setting, the proxies involved and their particular space–time resolution. The paleoenvironmental situation prior to the onset of Mid-Holocene conditions (i.e. starting at the Late Glacial Maximum) is summarized to estimate the nature and extent of the changes occurred during this period. Paleoenvironmental results, their characteristics and interpretation, are also considered. A general trend towards an aridization process that fostered a hydrologic stress process is traceable along the Mid-Holocene in Northwestern Argentina and the Tropical Andes. However, several localities seem to have retained wetter conditions, increasing the contrast between highly productive environments and the generally dry landscape. This paper is only a first step towards a full understanding of the diversity and complexity of the Mid-Holocene in different space–time scales, but a necessary one in order to start to model the resources structure available for human groups in the past in the Andes.