ANDEAN SOCIOCRYOSPHERE: PRE-COLUMBIAN ADAPTATION TO PERIGLACIAL ENVIRONMENT OF CORDILLERA BLANCA, PERU

Populations inhabiting the periglacial regions of the Central Andes have always been susceptible to glacier-related hazards. Climate change intensifies these risks because it accelerates the retreat of the Cordillera Blanca glaciers, thereby forming new glacial lagoons and increasing water volume and area of pre-existing lagoons. This work investigates whether there is an adaptation culture to mountain periglacial environments in the Central Andes, on the western flank of the Huascarán, Huandoy and Chinchey glaciers in the Callejón de Huaylas region, Peru. This research was performed considering two historical periods: specifically, an older period where pre-Columbian civilizations occupation strategies have been identified, and a more recent one where postcolonial strategies have been considered against the risk of glacier-related disasters. The construction of a cartography of the glacial evolution of the Huandoy and Huascarán glaciers is in progress, using paleoenvironmental data. Preliminary, we have noticed that: 1) ancestral civilizations predominantly occupied high mountainous slopes, and few archaeological sites were found in high-risk areas of glacier-related disasters; 2) on the other hand, the most populated postcolonial cities are located in zones of high risk of glacier-related disasters, such as Huaraz.