Southern Andes Research Articles

Prehispanic Macroregional Networks between the Southern Andes and the Lower Paraná River of South America

Prehispanic Macroregional Networks between the Southern Andes and the Lower Paraná River of South America

Catholic Churches of the Colonial Period in the Southern Andes of Peru: An Evocation towards the Past

Catholic Churches of the Colonial Period in the Southern Andes of Peru: An Evocation towards the Past

Horizontal Wavenumber Spectra Across the Middle Atmosphere From Airborne Lidar Observations During the 2019 Southern Hemispheric SSW

AbstractHorizontal wavenumber spectra across the middle atmosphere are investigated based on density measurements with the Airborne Lidar for Middle Atmosphere research (ALIMA) in the vicinity of the Southern Andes, the Drake passage and the Antarctic peninsula in September 2019. The probed horizontal scales range from 2000 to 25 km. Spectral slopes are close to k−5/3 in the stratosphere and get shallower for horizontal wavelengths <200 km in the mesosphere. The spectral slopes are shown to be statistically robust with the presented number of flight legs despite the unknown orientation of true wave vectors relative to the flight track using synthetic data and a Monte Carlo approach. The largest spectral amplitudes are found over the ocean rather than over topography. The 2019 sudden stratospheric warming caused a critical level for MWs and a reduction of spectral amplitudes at horizontal wavelengths of about 200 km in the mesosphere.

Family farming systems: An index-based approach to the drivers of agroecological principles in the southern Andes

Global social-ecological crises call for the identification and promotion of resilient agrifood systems. Agroecology can help addressing these challenges by fostering high levels of diversity and climate resilience. The application of agroecological principles (i.e. social-ecological processes translated into practices with positive effects on the conservation, stability and resilience of agriculture), increases systems’ response capacity and ability to adapt to crises. Agroecology has its roots in indigenous agriculture but social-ecological filters (i.e. human-nature factors that remove or reinforce agroecological practices) may be, at times, shifting away these systems from agroecological principles. The dynamism of territories has prompted the arrival of new actors to rural areas such as lifestyle migrants. In this study, we assess the extent to which agroecological principles are present in family farming in the southern Andes and identify factors that can act as “social-ecological filters” of management practices, affecting the level of agroecology in these systems. We applied questionnaires to 80 gardeners (40 campesinos and 40 migrants), asking about 35 management practices and their socio-demographic profiles. We developed an Index of Agroecological Principles (IAP) to estimate the presence/absence of management practices that contribute to seven agroecological principles (four biological and three sociocultural). Most principles showed a presence over 0.5 (50%). We found a positive relationship between biological and cultural principles (r = 0.56; p < 0.01). Biodiversity was the principle with the highest presence (0.72 ± 0.01). The value of the IAP was higher for indigenous and non-indigenous campesinos (4.5 ± 0.1; ß = 4.27) than for migrants (3.9 ± 0.12; ß = −0.4). The origin of the gardener, the age of the homegarden and the size of the farm, were the most influential social-ecological filters that selectively remove or reinforce agroecological practices in homegardens. We discuss the potential of an Index of Agroecological Principles in homegarden management for strengthening agroecology and resilience to social-ecological changes in a Global Biodiversity Hotspot and beyond.

Taxonomic review of the Andean crab spiders genus Coenypha Simon, 1895 (Thomisidae: Stephanopinae).

The genus Coenypha Simon, 1895 is composed of species distributed on the Southern Andean Region and Patagonia, and presents remarkable somatic morphologies, such as the flattened habitus, enlarged femora I, and a wide opisthosoma. Molecular and morphology-based phylogenies have revealed the close relationship of this genus with sympatric species previously assigned to Stephanopis O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869. Our recent cladistic analysis extended such preliminary results in recovering numerous morphological characters as synapomorphies of a well-supported clade, thus justifying the transfer of all species of 'Andean Stephanopis' to Coenypha. In the present work, we provide a taxonomic review of these species, update their diagnoses, descriptions and illustrate them through detailed photographs. New distribution records are presented, the male of C. antennata (Tullgren, 1902) is described for the first time, and two new species are described based on both sexes (Coenypha trapezium sp. nov. and Coenypha foliacea sp. nov.). Stephanopis exigua (Nicolet, 1849) is considered a nomen dubium. Stephanopis verrucosa (Nicolet, 1849), Thomisus spectrum Nicolet, 1849, and T. pubescens Nicolet, 1849 are synonymized with Coenypha nodosa (Nicolet, 1849). The synonymy of Thomisus nicoleti Roewer, 1951 (a replaced name for T. cinereus Nicolet, 1849 due to a homonymy) with Misumenops temibilis (Holmberg, 1876) is rejected, and considered together with Stephanopis spissa (Nicolet, 1849), Thomisus variabilis Nicolet, 1849 and Stephanopis maulliniana Mello-Leitão, 1951, synonyms of Coenypha ditissima (Nicolet, 1849); Stephanopis badia Keyserling, 1880 is transferred to Sidymella Strand, 1942.

Pucara Hilltop Settlements in the Lupaca and Pacajes Territories, Southern Andean Altiplano, during the Late Intermediate Period (AD 1000–1450)

AbstractThe quantity of archaeological data for the fortified hilltop settlements of the Late Intermediate period on the Andean altiplano, called pucaras, varies greatly. Some areas, such as the territory of the Colla Aymara chieftaincy east of Lake Titicaca, are well documented thanks to recent and exhaustive research. Other areas, such as the territories of the Lupacas and the Pacajes, are much less documented. From comparative spatial analyses of satellite images from these two territories, we obtained new data on pucaras, whose characteristics seem to differ from those proposed in the archaeological literature. Through a combination of fieldwork and spatial analysis of 295 pucaras, we identified 252 unpublished sites and propose a new typology comprising four categories. Based on ethnohistoric data and the results of the architectural and geographical analyses, we discuss the possible motivations for building so many pucaras; we suggest that some reasons are of a symbolic nature.

The genetic history of the Southern Andes from present-day Mapuche ancestry

The southernmost regions of South America harbor some of the earliest evidence of human presence in the Americas. However, connections with the rest of the continent and the contextualization of present-day indigenous ancestries remain poorly resolved. In this study, we analyze the genetic ancestry of one of the largest indigenous groups in South America: the Mapuche. We generate genome-wide data from 64 participants from three Mapuche populations in Southern Chile: Pehuenche, Lafkenche, and Huilliche. Broadly, we describe three main ancestry blocks with a common origin, which characterize the Southern Cone, the Central Andes, and Amazonia. Within the Southern Cone, ancestors of the Mapuche lineages differentiated from those of the Far South during the Middle Holocene and did not experience further migration waves from the north. We find that the deep genetic split between the Central and Southern Andes is followed by instances of gene flow, which may have accompanied the southward spread of cultural traits from the Central Andes, including crops and loanwords from Quechua into Mapudungun (the language of the Mapuche). Finally, we report close genetic relatedness between the three populations analyzed, with the Huilliche characterized additionally by intense recent exchanges with the Far South. Our findings add new perspectives on the genetic (pre)history of South America, from the first settlement through to the present-day indigenous presence.Follow-up fieldwork took these results back to the indigenous communities to contextualize the genetic narrative alongside indigenous knowledge and perspectives. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Calyceraceae: Unexpected diversification pattern in the Southern Andes

Calyceraceae comprises 46 species mostly endemic to the Andes and Patagonia in Southern South America, and it is the sister family of Asteraceae, one of the largest Angiosperm families. With a robust phylogeny and with an exceptionally good sampling fraction, we performed macroevolution and biogeographic analyses to understand paleodiversity dynamics through time and space, and its potential drivers. We address the impact of the Andean uplift, global temperature, life forms, and biogeography on Calyceraceae diversification through a time-calibrated phylogeny. Calyceraceae diversification was homogeneous through time and followed a low speciation rate for the last 24 Mya, with no lineage differing much in their diversification dynamics. In accordance with the homogeneous speciation rate, we found that neither the Andean uplift, nor the evolution of global average temperature, nor the different life forms have affected its diversification. The Southern Andes is the centre of origin of the family and major clades within it, and most dispersal events occurred from the Andes to Patagonia. Most Calyceraceae species seem to have originated, evolved, and dispersed within the Argentinean Arid Diagonal, indicating that niche conservatism could have played an important role in the evolution of Calyceraceae. Differences in macroevolution dynamics could explain the asymmetry of species richness in the two sister families Asteraceae-Calyceraceae.

Oblique Propagation and Refraction of Gravity Waves Over the Andes Observed by GLORIA and ALIMA During the SouthTRAC Campaign

AbstractGravity waves (GW) carry energy and momentum from the troposphere to the middle atmosphere and have a strong influence on the circulation there. Global atmospheric models cannot fully resolve GWs, and therefore rely on highly simplified GW parametrizations that, among other limitations, account for vertical wave propagation only and neglect refraction. This is a major source of uncertainty in models, and leads to well‐known problems, such as the late break‐up of polar vortex due to the “missing” GW drag around 60°S. To investigate these phenomena, GW observations over Southern Andes were performed during SouthTRAC aircraft campaign. This paper presents measurements from a SouthTRAC flight on 21 September 2019, including 3‐D tomographic temperature data of the infrared limb imager GLORIA (8–15 km altitude) and temperature profiles of the ALIMA lidar (20–80 km altitude). GLORIA observations revealed multiple overlapping waves of different wavelengths. 3‐D wave vectors were determined from the GLORIA data and used to initialize a GW ray‐tracer. The ray‐traced GW parameters were compared with ALIMA observations, showing good agreement between the instruments and direct evidence of oblique (partly meridional) GW propagation. ALIMA data analysis confirmed that most waves at 25–40 km altitudes were indeed orographic GWs, including waves seemingly upstream of the Andes. We directly observed horizontal GW refraction, which has not been achieved before SouthTRAC. Refraction and oblique propagation caused significant meridional transport of horizontal momentum as well as horizontal momentum exchange between waves and the background flow all along the wave paths, not just in wave excitation and breaking regions.

Stratigraphy of volcanic memory: Sociocultural dimensions of volcanic risk in the Southern Andes, Chile

AbstractThis article focuses on communities that reoccupy territories affected by volcanic eruptions to extend understanding of people's social appropriation of environments exposed to natural hazards. We take as a case study three rural settlements affected by several eruptions from the Carran‐Los Venados and Puyehue‐Cordón Caulle volcanic systems (Southern Andes, Chile). Using an ethnographic observation scale, we engage with local actors' experiences during volcanic eruptions and quiescence. We identified three factors shaping people's decision to reoccupy volcanic territories: the reproduction of a peasant habitus, a stratigraphy of memories and the acceptability of volcanic risk. The results illustrate the construction of human–volcano interactions built over generations, framed in socio‐volcanic cycles faced from a habitus of precariousness. However, after recalling their past vulnerabilities, the community imagines overcoming the impacts of volcanism from a different habitus based on living as peasants in conditions of greater social equity. From this, we discuss how volcanic imaginaries interrogate the past, motivate a more accurate understanding of volcanic risk and support the projections of communities about their human–volcano coexistence despite exposure to hazards. Finally, we posit the concept of ethnovolcanology to understand the tension between place attachment and disaster risk as a persistent intersection of human and geological forces.

Evolution of the Earth's magnetic field strength in northwestern Argentina during the last two millennia: Towards the improvement of south American geomagnetic paleosecular variation curve

A magnetic mineralogy and absolute geomagnetic intensity study was carried out on prehispanic ceramic fragments from the Southern Andes region (Northwest Argentina). Magnetic susceptibility vs. temperature curves and alternating field demagnetization treatments were applied to select the most suitable samples for the absolute archaeointensity experiments. A total of 66 samples were analyzed following the Thellier modified by Coe protocol, including cooling rate corrections and potential mitigation of the magnetic anisotropy effect. Thirty-eight samples (out of 66) belonging to nine pottery fragments yielded reliable absolute intensity determinations The new data, accompanied by associated radiocarbon ages, were integrated into previously published data in order to construct an improved paleosecular variation curve for South America. The highest quality data covers only the last 1000 years. The general variation patterns show good agreement with global geomagnetic prediction models. This updated regional curve may be used as the reference curve for archaeomagnetic dating in the major part of South America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia), even though caution should be paid for the areas and time periods poorly covered by data.

Tail Bifurcation Incidence in Liolaemus Lizards Assessed through Citizen Science and Naturalist Notes

Tail bifurcation in lizards is caused by an anomalous regeneration process after tail autotomy. A recent review shows that nearly half of the records came from social media and one of the less represented families was Liolaemidae (one case). The genus Liolaemus is mostly distributed along countries in the southern Andes, which have low numbers of tail bifurcation reports. Is the low incidence of tail bifurcation in Liolaemus a real biological phenomenon, or just a sampling artifact? Due to the lack of targeted searches and the large number of species on this group, we expect that an extensive survey will significantly increase the number of cases. We reviewed the scientific literature, internet sites, and social media (Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, and iNaturalist, 2020) using search terms in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. We found 16 tail bifurcation events corresponding to seven species, including a novel field observation. All bifurcations occur on the distal half of the tail congruently with described trends. Liolaemus tenuis was the most commonly recorded species, which could be explained by its presence in urban and natural areas. The same oversampling bias might affect the geographic distribution of all records. Our field observation might correspond to the first documented re-sight of a lizard with bifurcated tail. With the majority of records from social media, this study exemplifies the relevance of citizen science to document rare events. But, at the same time, it is a warning call for the need of more academic validation of the natural history and museum-based work.

Stable Isotope Composition (C and N) of Vegetation in Subtropical Andes: Piedmont ‘Anomaly’ and its Implications for Paleo (Ecology) and Human Diet Reconstruction

ABSTRACT Isotope baselines are fundamental to infer diets, and to evaluate trophic relationships between humans, animals, and plants. In this study, we aim to detect spatial patterns of δ 13C and δ 15N of different plant types (C3, C4 and CAM) along environmental gradients in the eastern slopes of the southern Andes, in order to use them as a baseline to reconstruct animal diet, mobility, and trophic relations in the area. The stable isotope composition of dominant plants was analyzed along an environmental gradient from the mountains to the plains in southern Mendoza. The expected isotope gradients of increasing δ 13C and δ 15N with decreasing altitude and increasing aridity was not found in our region. The spatial distribution of the C3/C4 ratio showed a non-linear pattern, with higher C4 abundances at intermediate altitudes, probably given by atmospheric circulation patterns, which generate aridity and C4 dominance at intermediate altitudes. These climate, geologic, and vegetation patterns may affect ecosystem and animal δ 13C, which also showed non-linear trends in previously published material. These non-linear trends open the opportunity to explain previous δ 13C results obtained from collagen of human and animal bones, which follow the C3/C4 ratio found in this study.

Maize consumption out of the production areas in southern South America (Norpatagonia, Argentina): Occasional production, foreigner consumers, or exchange?

This paper discusses the maize consumption record among hunter-gatherers outside assumed production areas in northeastern Patagonia. We evaluated if this anomalous record is the result of occasional events of local production/consumption; the transport of the microremains in the teeth of individuals after consuming maize in non-local production areas; or the local consumption of maize after its transport/exchange from production areas. Archaeobotanical results showed that analyzed individuals, including maize-consumers, mainly consumed local wild plants. Maize was not cultivated locally, and its consumption was unusual but not extraordinary in northeastern Patagonia. Oxygen isotope values of analyzed individuals are strongly compatible with local water sources, which imply that the mobility range of them must have not exceeded extra-Andean North Patagonia. For this reason, the most plausible explanation for the presence of maize in the local archaeological record is that this plant to have entered northeastern Patagonia through exchange, probably from southern Andes (central Chile or central-west Argentina).

Global guidelines, local interpretations: ethnography of climate policy implementation in Mapuche territory, Southern Chile

ABSTRACT The climate vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples is closely related to their marginalization from decision-making processes. Although the engagement of Indigenous Peoples in climate policy is increasingly promoted at the international level, there are still multiple barriers to their meaningful participation at the national level. Through an ethnography of the State, this article analyses how both the State's political orientation, and its interpretations of different stakeholders, influence the participation of Mapuche-Pehuenche communities in two mitigation projects implemented in Lonquimay, Chile, in the southern Andes. This study is based on a review of State policies for Indigenous Peoples, participant observations of the mitigation projects’ implementation, and qualitative data collected through 26 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. The study uses an ethnographic approach to allow an understanding of how the State is constructed in the face of climate change and of Indigenous Peoples’ vulnerability. The State project, which shapes the relationship of the Mapuche with their territory, with the State, and among themselves, is reflected in policy implementation patterns and the existing economic development model. All these relationships influence how officials and the Mapuche interpret and implement climate policy. This article demonstrates that by neglecting these relationships, climate policy risks being less effective in part as it reinforces the exclusion of Indigenous Peoples. While Indigenous Peoples’ participation poses significant intercultural challenges, it also yields valuable lessons that can promote processes of institutional transformation that contribute to climate mitigation, such as strengthening local capacities and questioning beliefs that have led to climate change.

Rethinking the Inka: Community, Landscape, and Empire in the Southern Andes

Book Review| March 27 2023 Rethinking the Inka: Community, Landscape, and Empire in the Southern Andes Rethinking the Inka: Community, Landscape, and Empire in the Southern Andes. Edited by Frances M. Hayashida, Andrés Troncoso, and Diego Salazar. The William and Bettye Nowlin Series in Art, History, and Culture of the Western Hemisphere. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2022. Photographs. Plates. Illustrations. Maps. Figures. Tables. Notes. Bibliographies. Index. xvi, 282 pp. Cloth, $65.00. Ana María Presta Ana María Presta Universidad de Buenos Aires / Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Hispanic American Historical Review 10589013. https://doi.org/10.1215/00182168-10589013 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Ana María Presta; Rethinking the Inka: Community, Landscape, and Empire in the Southern Andes. Hispanic American Historical Review 2023; 10589013. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/00182168-10589013 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search Books & JournalsAll JournalsHispanic American Historical Review Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright © 2023 by Duke University Press2023 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Teleconnection between the Surface Wind of Western Patagonia and the SAM, ENSO, and PDO Modes of Variability

The Southern Westerly Wind (SWW) belt is one of the most important atmospheric features of the Southern Hemisphere (SH). In Patagonia, these winds control the precipitation rates at the windward side of the southern Andes, and rainfall is very sensitive to any change (strength and/or latitudinal position) in the wind belt. The present-day behavior of the SWW, also known as westerlies, is characterized by remarkable seasonality. This wind belt also varies at interannual-to-decadal time scales, associated with the influence of atmospheric phenomena such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), respectively. Moreover, during the past few decades, the westerlies have shown an increase in their core strength influenced by changes in the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). However, what controls the long-term variability of the SWW at the high latitudes of the SH is still a matter of debate. This work statistically analyzes the influence of large-scale modes of variability, such as ENSO and PDO on the SAM and the frequency of the strong SWW from ERA5 reanalysis data of southwestern Patagonia (~51°S), where the current core of this belt is located. Our results confirm the relation between strong wind anomalies and the SAM. In addition, the temporal variations of strong winds are also significantly affected by the PDO, but there is no detectable influence of the ENSO on their frequency. This shows that future studies focused on reconstructing wind history from aeolian particles of lake sediments from southwestern Patagonia could also provide information about the modes of variability that influence strong wind frequency.

A New Overlooked Species of Cyrtopodium (Cymbidieae, Orchidaceae) from the Southern Andean Yungas and Chaco Serrano Ecoregions of Northern Argentina and Southwestern Bolivia

Cyrtopodium valebellae, a new species from northwestern Argentina and southwestern Bolivia, is described, illustrated, and compared with morphologically similar taxa. The species is similar to C. virescens in general morphology and flower colour but differs in floral morphology details, particularly in lip morphology and geographic distribution. All known records are from the Southern Andean Yungas and Chaco Serrano ecoregions, indicating that the species is endemic to these regions. Cyrtopodium valebellae has been known since 1965 but has been misidentified so far with C. paniculatum, C. punctatum or C. virescens. The new species was first noticed through photographs available on online biodiversity platforms, highlighting its usefulness as a complementary source of data for discovering new species.

Tithonian–Berriasian calcisphere (calcareous dinoflagellate cysts) zones in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina: correlation between Southern Andes and Tethyan regions

Tithonian–Berriasian calcisphere (calcareous dinoflagellate cysts) zones in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina: correlation between Southern Andes and Tethyan regions

Assessment of Land Surface Schemes from the WRF-Chem for Atmospheric Modeling in the Andean Region of Ecuador

Surface interactions occur near the land–atmosphere interface, thus affecting the temperature, convection, boundary layer, and stability of the atmosphere. A proper representation of surface interactions is a crucial component for numerical atmospheric and air quality modeling. We assessed four land surface schemes—1. 5–layer thermal diffusion scheme (1 5-Layer); 2. unified Noah land surface model (2 Noah); 3. rapid update cycle (3 RUC) land surface model; and 4. Pleim–Xiu land surface model (4 Pleim–Xiu)—from the Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF-Chem V3.2) model for the purposes of atmospheric modeling in Cuenca, which is a region with a complex topography and land use configuration and which is located in the Southern Andean region, in Ecuador. For this purpose, we modeled the meteorological and air quality variables during September 2014. It was found that the meteorological and short-term air quality variables were better modeled through the 2 Noah scheme. Long-term (mean monthly) air quality variables were better modeled by the 1 5–Layer and 3 RUC options. On average, the 2 Noah scheme was better at modeling meteorology and air quality. In addition, we assessed the 2 Noah scheme combined with the urban canopy model (UCM) (5 Noah UCM), which was developed as an option to represent the urban effects at a subgrid-scale. Results indicated that the performance of the 5 Noah UCM scheme was not better at modeling than the 2 Noah scheme alone. Moreover, the 5 Noah UCM scheme notably decreased the modeling performance for carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter. These results complement previous assessments of other schemes, allowing us to recommend a basic configuration of parameters for atmospheric modeling in the Andean region of Ecuador.