The Construction of Vulnerability along the Zarumilla River Valley in Prehistory

Abstract

This article addresses the relationship between response to natural hazards and long-term social change and vulnerability along the Zarumilla River Valley in prehistory. This area lies on the border of Ecuador and Peru, a region known for its severe El Niño events. Such events in prehistory sometimes prompted relocation and affected availability of subsistence resources. Cultural responses varied through time, but ultimately those responses may have combined with changing inter-regional interaction to increase the population's vulnerability as subsistence became less diverse and more centralized in its distribution, and as sociopolitical strategies came to rely more on external relationships and emphasize wealth accumulation.