Human Occupation and Increasing Mid‐Holocene Aridity

The discussion of human occupation in the southern Andes during the mid‐Holocene, centered on whether or not the region was abandoned because of the increasing aridity that has been identified by paleoecologists, has intensified since the 1990s. Examining lithic technology, faunal remains, and radiocarbon data, this paper explores the topic in light of the archaeological variability exhibited in west‐central Argentina between 8,000 and 4,000 14C BP. Analysis of data in the spatial/temporal archaeological record demonstrates significant regional variability during the different stages of the mid‐Holocene and in the two contrasting environmental sectors of the study area: the mountainous areas (cordilleras) and plains. We propose that changes in occupation are correlated with the greater aridity of certain environments.