paleoenvironments and the cultural processes in Northwest Argentina: an approach from the archeology of Tucumán

Acta geológica 24 (1-2)2012

Abstract

The paper presents a summary of the relationships between human occupation and changes on environmental conditions for the last 10.000 years in a representative area of the cultural prehispanic development in Northwest Argentina, specifically for the Tucumán Province territory. An updated review and synthesis ofcurrent knowledge about the environment in the recent past (Middle-Late Holocene) for the Tapia-Trancas basin and the Tafí and Santa Maria intermountain valleys is presented; as well as new radiocarbon dates linked to palaeoenvironmental changes for the Santa María valley. We also propose, for the first time, the use of prehispanic iconography change analysis as a complementary indicator of past environmental processes.