Forest Fires and Abandonment Patterns from the Aguada Culture, Northwest Argentina: A Paleoenvironmental Study Based on the Analysis of Microcharcoals in the Ambato Valley, Catamarca Province

This book deals with the disappearance of the Aguada Culture in the Catamarca Province Northwestern Argentina, focusing of the abandonment of several settlements in the Ambato Valley, which has shown evidence of fire and a rapid abandonment dated to around 900-1000 AD. A new method of analysing forest fires using microcharcoals was developed to examine the relationship between the abandonment and forest fires. This approach, coming from the field of pedoanthracology, has given us new data on the palaeoenvironment of the area which help us to understand and examine the disappearance of the Aguada society in a new light. We conclude that environmental factors were not the only ones that had an effect on a society under stress. Environmental factors are not a determinant, but are instead part of a social-environmental dimension in which several factors must have worked to push the society into a vulnerable situation. In terms of the abandonment of the Aguada settlements in the Ambato Valley, the study shows that frequent forest fires might have been a factor that played a role. However, based on the regularity of such events, as seen in the sediment history, it is unlikely that these were the only factor causing the abandonment of the valley.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures List of Tables Preface Part I The Birth of Tatevali (Grandfather Fire) and the Contest of Fire and Water (Nakawe) Chapter 1 The First Landscape Introduction Aim Purpose and Objectives Background to Palaeoenvironmental Studies in the Ambato Valley From Ashes to Microcharcoal Outline of this Study Chapters and landscape Chapter 2 A Changing Landscape: The Theoretical Landscape and Methodological Approaches Theoretical Methodologies and Theoretical Approaches Conceptual framework (landscape/environment) Fire Perceptions of the World The nature-culture (society) duality in the modern world Perception of climate and weather The Perception of Cultural Evolution in the Archaeology of Northwest Argentina A materialist viewpoint in northwest Argentinean archaeology Abandonment in Archaeology Abandonment versus collapse Concepts and scales in abandonment Classic explanations of abandonment on a large scale Floor assemblages Evidence of fire and abandonment: accident, natural causes, or ritual practice? Evidence of fire and abandonment in archaeological sites in northwest Argentina Chapter 3 A Landscape in Constant Change - the Aguada Culture The Aguada in the Ambato Valley Background Research in the Ambato Valley since the 1990s Integration, trade routes and "cebil" Gonzalez's view of the disappearance of the Aguada culture Chapter 4 The Landscape in the Ambato Valley Introduction Environmental setting - the Ambato Valley Geology The natural environment Modern threats to the area Environmental History in the Region - From a Regional to a Local Perspective Variations in moisture and the palaeoenvironmental data from the Ambato Valley The Ambato Valley - A Cultural Construction The archaeological landscape in the Ambato Valley Chronology of some archaeological sites in the Ambato Valley The Archaeological Sites with Evidence of Fire in the Ambato Valley La Rinconada a.k.a. La Iglesia de Los Indios Structures with evidence of fi re (E4, E5, E7, and E15) Martinez 2 (CatAmb002) Piedras Blancas Piedras Blancas: Compound H (Recinto Alto) Piedras Blancas: Compound F and G Chapter 5 A Landscape on Fire Fire Ecology The nature of the fires Fire in ecosystems Fire behaviour Fuel Meteorological factors Biomass Burning in the Past: A Global Context Fire and humans Post-fire effects Fire and Effects on the Ecosystem: How to Discover Traces of Fire in the Past? The effect of fi re on some trees in the Ambato Valley Fire in the Ambato Valley: December 2009 Present-day Biomass Calculations and Modelling for the Ambato Valley Chapter 6 Tools to Construct a Landscape Environmental Archaeology Environmental Determinism in Archaeology Reconstruction of Palaeoenvironments Different scales in the reconstructions Climate, Palaeoclimate, and Proxies in the Reconstruction of Palaeoenvironments Pollen as a proxy in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction Pedoanthracology and Microcharcoal as a Proxy Proxy representation Local or regional source The preservation of pollen and microcharcoal Interpretation Reflections Part II Microcharcoal in the Ambato Valley Chapter 7 Reconstructing a Landscape with Microcharcoal Microcharcoal Background Fire events and the archaeology of the Ambato Valley Application in archaeology and paleoenvironmental studies History and background Charcoal formation Charcoal taphonomy and preservation Microcharcoal and experimentation Methodological issues concerning microcharcoal and the reconstruction of fire events Counting methods Some problems with the sampling in the field Materials and Methods Profile 1 - The First Analysis Sampling of Profile 1 in the field Reference collection in Cordoba In the laboratory Results for Profile 1 Reference collection in Cordoba with sediment corer The Stations in the Ambato Valley - First Estimation of Presence/Absence of Microcharcoal In the field Location of the stations Collection of reference soil samples Field sampling of sediments In the laboratory Analysis of the samples Preparation of the samples Results of the Presence/Absence Study Discussion of the Presence/Absence Study Conclusions of the First Study of Presence/Absence Quantifi cation of Microcharcoal Content Testing the samples with polarized light Results Analysis and Discussion of Microcharcoal Quantities Conclusions: The Past Fire Regimes in the Ambato Valley Multivariate Analysis of Data Obtained from the 17 Stations Appendix to Chapter 7 Section I: Description of the Stations Station 1 (Cordoba) Station 2 (Cordoba) Station 3 (Cordoba) Station 4 (Cordoba) Station 5 (Cordoba) In the Ambato Valley Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4 Station 5 and Station 5(bis) Station 6 Station 7 Station 8 Station 9 Station 10 Station 11 Station 12 Station 13 Station 14 Station 15 Station 16 Station 17 Section II: Sediment Data from all Stations in the Ambato Valley Section III: Data from the Analysis of the Samples from Stations in the Ambato Valley Chapter 8 The Complementary Landscape Radiocarbon Dating in the Ambato Valley Radiocarbon dating of the soil samples Phosphate, Magnetic Susceptibility, Organic Material (LOI), and pH Introduction Previous studies of phosphate and organic material from archaeological sites in the Ambato Valley Soil formation Aim and purpose Materials and Methods Locations of the stations Sediment extraction in 2008 Sediment extraction in 2010 In the laboratory Spot test of phosphate content Phosphate analysis (cit-P, CitPOI and PQ) Magnetic susceptibility (MS) Loss on ignition (LOI) pH Results Discussion Conclusions Geochemical Study of Stations 4, 11 and 16 of the Ambato Valley Conclusions Part III Discussion Chapter 9 An Abandoned Landscape or a Society in Disintegration? Key Factors Present for Fire in the Ambato Valley The Recurring Fires in the Ambato Valley The Perception of Fire Fire in the Agricultural Terraces Disintegration or Abandonment of the Ambato Valley The End of the Aguada Occupation in the Ambato Valley Disasters or Collapse? Drought in the Final Phase of the Occupation Wildfi res and the Abandonment Fire and Ritual Abandonment of Structures Abandonment Patterns and Floor Assemblages The Difference between the Abandonment of the Hualfin Valley and the Ambato Valley Violence and Abandonment of the Ambato Valley Indicators of Violence in the Aguada Culture Final Words and Future Directions References Appendix: Ashes of Disintegration Microfossils and Ashes Applied to Archaeological and Anthracological Issues Introduction Aim Background - ashes in archaeology Soil morphology Reference collection Materials and Methods Results Discussion

About the Author :
Henrik B. Lindskoug lectures Anthropology at the Facultad de Filosofia y Humanidades, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (FFyH-UNC) in Argentina and works as a CONICET Postdoc researcher at the Instituto de Antropologia de Cordoba at the same institution. He got his degrees in archaeology (BA and MA) and international museum studies (MA) at the Goteborg University, Sweden, and his PhD in anthropological sciences at Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina. He has researched and published about a range of different topics in archaeology and museum studies, mostly from Northwestern Argentina, where he has worked since 2001.