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Preceramic Subsistence on the Peruvian Coast

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Mary Hrones Parsons
Mary Hrones Parsons*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan
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Abstract

This paper attempts to show that a reexamination of the ecological zones along the Peruvian coast can prove extremely helpful in understanding the subsistence patterns of preceramic populations. The phenomenon of the periodic El Niño Countercurrent and its drastic effects on both sea and land resources are discussed in detail, with particular reference to lomas sites. An attempt is made to distinguish seasonal food resources from those available all year round, and to examine the possible factors limiting both types of resources. Vital problems concerning human adaptation to the coastal niche in preceramic times are stressed in hopes that they will serve as focal points for future research.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 35 , Issue 3 , July 1970 , pp. 292 - 304
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1970

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