Settlement dynamics, subsistence economies and climate change during the late Holocene at Nunura Bay (Sechura Desert, Peru): A multiproxy approach
Long considered on the margins, far from the major cultural traditions, the Sechura Desert is situated at the crossroads between the cultures of southern Ecuador and those of the northern Peruvian coast and preserves a large number of varied archaeological sites. Despite this evidence, little is kno...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9997921/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1811154355741523968 |
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| author | Valentina Villa Nicolas Bermeo Antoine Zazzo Christine Lefèvre Philippe Béarez Denis Correa Elise Dufour Aurélie Manin Lucie Dausse Belkys Gutiérrez Segundo Vásquez Aurélien Christol Jean-Jacques Bahain Nicolas Goepfert |
| author_facet | Valentina Villa Nicolas Bermeo Antoine Zazzo Christine Lefèvre Philippe Béarez Denis Correa Elise Dufour Aurélie Manin Lucie Dausse Belkys Gutiérrez Segundo Vásquez Aurélien Christol Jean-Jacques Bahain Nicolas Goepfert |
| author_sort | Valentina Villa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Long considered on the margins, far from the major cultural traditions, the Sechura Desert is situated at the crossroads between the cultures of southern Ecuador and those of the northern Peruvian coast and preserves a large number of varied archaeological sites. Despite this evidence, little is known about the societies that inhabited this region during the Holocene. Exposed to natural hazards, including El Niño events, and to major climatic changes, they were able to adapt and exploit the scarce resources that this extreme environment offered them. Because of this rich history, we have been conducting archaeological research in this region since 2012 in order to clarify the dynamics of human occupation and their links with climate oscillations and environmental changes. This paper present the results of a multidisciplinary study of Huaca Grande, a mound located on Nunura Bay, 300 m from the Pacific Ocean. The nature of the human occupations at Huaca Grande was varied, and several adjustments occurred over time. The subsistence economy was based mainly on local marine resources and a continual use of terrestrial vegetal resources. However, a major change occurred in the more recent occupations, with the apparition of non-local resources (maize and cotton) indicating that Huaca Grande was connected to trade networks. The results show two main phases of occupation separated by a long abandonment (mid-5th century CE to mid-7th century CE and mid-13th century to mid-15th century CE). The occupation of the site appears to have been influenced by changes in the local climate and by extreme El Niño events. Our results highlight the great adaptability of these human groups over the span of a millennium and their capacity to react to the climatic changes and hazards that characterise this region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:14:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d4fedf00f9e94067a5063637cd52bed2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:14:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-d4fedf00f9e94067a5063637cd52bed22023-03-12T05:32:25ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01183Settlement dynamics, subsistence economies and climate change during the late Holocene at Nunura Bay (Sechura Desert, Peru): A multiproxy approachValentina VillaNicolas BermeoAntoine ZazzoChristine LefèvrePhilippe BéarezDenis CorreaElise DufourAurélie ManinLucie DausseBelkys GutiérrezSegundo VásquezAurélien ChristolJean-Jacques BahainNicolas GoepfertLong considered on the margins, far from the major cultural traditions, the Sechura Desert is situated at the crossroads between the cultures of southern Ecuador and those of the northern Peruvian coast and preserves a large number of varied archaeological sites. Despite this evidence, little is known about the societies that inhabited this region during the Holocene. Exposed to natural hazards, including El Niño events, and to major climatic changes, they were able to adapt and exploit the scarce resources that this extreme environment offered them. Because of this rich history, we have been conducting archaeological research in this region since 2012 in order to clarify the dynamics of human occupation and their links with climate oscillations and environmental changes. This paper present the results of a multidisciplinary study of Huaca Grande, a mound located on Nunura Bay, 300 m from the Pacific Ocean. The nature of the human occupations at Huaca Grande was varied, and several adjustments occurred over time. The subsistence economy was based mainly on local marine resources and a continual use of terrestrial vegetal resources. However, a major change occurred in the more recent occupations, with the apparition of non-local resources (maize and cotton) indicating that Huaca Grande was connected to trade networks. The results show two main phases of occupation separated by a long abandonment (mid-5th century CE to mid-7th century CE and mid-13th century to mid-15th century CE). The occupation of the site appears to have been influenced by changes in the local climate and by extreme El Niño events. Our results highlight the great adaptability of these human groups over the span of a millennium and their capacity to react to the climatic changes and hazards that characterise this region.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9997921/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Valentina Villa Nicolas Bermeo Antoine Zazzo Christine Lefèvre Philippe Béarez Denis Correa Elise Dufour Aurélie Manin Lucie Dausse Belkys Gutiérrez Segundo Vásquez Aurélien Christol Jean-Jacques Bahain Nicolas Goepfert Settlement dynamics, subsistence economies and climate change during the late Holocene at Nunura Bay (Sechura Desert, Peru): A multiproxy approach PLoS ONE |
| title | Settlement dynamics, subsistence economies and climate change during the late Holocene at Nunura Bay (Sechura Desert, Peru): A multiproxy approach |
| title_full | Settlement dynamics, subsistence economies and climate change during the late Holocene at Nunura Bay (Sechura Desert, Peru): A multiproxy approach |
| title_fullStr | Settlement dynamics, subsistence economies and climate change during the late Holocene at Nunura Bay (Sechura Desert, Peru): A multiproxy approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Settlement dynamics, subsistence economies and climate change during the late Holocene at Nunura Bay (Sechura Desert, Peru): A multiproxy approach |
| title_short | Settlement dynamics, subsistence economies and climate change during the late Holocene at Nunura Bay (Sechura Desert, Peru): A multiproxy approach |
| title_sort | settlement dynamics subsistence economies and climate change during the late holocene at nunura bay sechura desert peru a multiproxy approach |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9997921/?tool=EBI |
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