The 24th Annual Frison Institute Lecture. Dr. Calogero Santoro presents Is the Atacama Desert an Imperfect Human Artifact?

Description

Dr. Calogero Santoro of the University of Tarapaca will present a lecture titled "Is the Atacama Desert an Imperfect Human Artifact?"

The Atacama Desert, like many ecosystems of the world, is a kind of human artifact that has co-evolved since the late Pleistocene (about 13,000 years ago) along with various human groups that have gradually become more influential in shaping this desert. Although its inhabitants have always had to cope with severe ecological constraints, they have devised different courses of action through technology and social systems to transform the desert into more habitable environments. Dr. Santoro will discuss three historical milestones demonstrating how humans have adapted and affected this environment. This research highlights how archaeology can be used to examine current human-environment relationships and provides ideas of how to promote sustainability in harsh ecosystems.