Les Andes intertropicales : une mosaïque changeante

The Andean space forms an extremely rich ecological mosaic on account of a large number of constrasts : cold/hot, dry/moist, forested/desert, flat/hilly. In the course of the millenia the pieces of this mosaic have been modified both by anthropic action, so vigorous that it brought about the destruction of the vegetation, and by holocene climatic variations, which, although limited in intensity, did affect the ways in which space was occupied. It should be noted, however, that very little precise and generalizable data is available concerning the ancient Andean landscape ; the archaeological work still remains to be done. Consequently, prudence is called for in interpreting the natural milieux of past ages. The interpretation and use of the area's natural potential vary as a function of the technical level and forms of spatial occupation. The slope becomes a major constraint for modern societies using the motor ; the damages caused by earthquakes are greater for an urban society than for shepherds. The limitations created by the presence of mountains are more severe in the contemporary period than in the past, whence the decline of the Andes.Dollfus Olivier. Les Andes intertropicales : une mosaïque changeante. In: Annales. Economies, sociétés, civilisations. 33ᵉ année, N. 5-6, 1978. pp. 895-905