Rain-fed agriculture thrived despite climate degradation in the pre-Hispanic arid Andes.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Cruz P
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5738230 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Rain-fed agriculture thrived despite climate degradation in the pre-Hispanic arid Andes.
Cruz Pablo P Winkel Thierry T Ledru Marie-Pierre MP Bernard Cyril C Egan Nancy N Swingedouw Didier D Joffre Richard R
Science advances 20171220 12
Archaeological research suggests significant human occupation in the arid Andean highlands during the 13th to 15th centuries, whereas paleoclimatic studies reveal prolonged drier and colder conditions during that period. Which subsistence strategy supported local societies in this harsh environment? Our field and aerial surveys of archaeological dwelling sites, granaries, and croplands provide the first evidence of extended pre-Hispanic agriculture supporting dense human populations in the arid ...[more]
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