Mid Holocene radiocarbon ages in the Subtropical Andes (~29° - 35° S), climatic change and implications for human space organization

Abstract

This article discusses the distribution of radiocarbon age signatures obtained from archeological sites between 29 and 35 S in Central Chile and Midwest Argentina. The goal of this analysis is to establish bases from which to interpret regional trends in the distribution of the archaeological record that connect these areas, which have been traditionally considered to be geographically decoupled. We propose a standardized methodology for selecting ages that provide a reliable human signature. Variations in date frequencies in a regional scale are discussed with the use of summed probability distributions. Radiocarbon voids at the regional level previously identified in Midwest Argentina are explored. Regional chronological information is compared to the available paleoenvironmental records, thereby emphasizing the possible role of climate pulses in the spatial organization of human populations. Significant arid conditions between 7800 and 5700 cal BP are coincidental with a focused occupation of the Andes Mountains, an area which may have offered stable resources and thus was more effectively occupied than other environmental bands.