Early Human Occupations And Paleoenvironmental Conditions In The Atacama Desert During The Pleistocene-Holocene Transition

Abstract

The Atacama Desert (from Arica to Taltal, 18°-25° S), one of the driest environments on Earth, has been considered an inhospitable habitat and hence a major barrier for the hunter and gatherer groups that migrated to South America at the end of the Pleistocene. Recent paleoecological and geomorphologic data, summarized here, show that during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition (ca. 17,500-9500 cal BP) some sectors of the Atacama were much wetter and had greater bioproductivity than today, factors that increase the possibilities of finding early American sites. Here, we first describe the current environment of the Atacama and compare it to past environmental conditions. Second, we present our results that show archaeological evidence for the human colonization of the hyperarid coast (0-900 masl), the intermediate depression (900-2200 masl), the precordillera (2200-3500 masl) and the altiplano (>3500 masl). Finally we discuss some of the possible migratory routes for the peopling of South America.