Impact of the 1280 AD Quilotoa Eruption on Human-Wetland Interactions in the Equatorial Andes

Keywords: Ecuador, Volcanism, Resilience, Climate Change, Anthropocene, Wetlands, Colonialism
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Tuesday
Session Start / End Time: 3/1/2022 05:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 3/1/2022 06:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 16

Abstract

With an estimated VEI of 6, the Quilotoa eruption of 1280 AD is the largest volcanic eruption to occur in South America since the beginning of the Holocene, spreading ash over most of the country and producing broader global climatic impacts that are still poorly understood. In the highlands of Ecuador, the eruption is hypothesized to have produced catastrophic effects that lead to widespread abandonment with some areas potentially left unpopulated for hundreds of years. In addition to the environmental impact, the eruption of Quilotoa and its residual effects may have been largely influential on the Cara, an ethnic group that practiced wetland agriculture and came to dominate the highlands north of Quito. Despite the apparent collapse of many of their wetland fields, the Cara were not only able to quickly rebound and adapt to their changing environment, but in 200 years they became one of the most powerful and influential ethnic groups in the northern Andes. Yet the wetlands themselves never seem to have recovered and many areas described in the Spanish chronicles as wetlands today serve as pasture. While inundation by volcanic ash has long been blamed for the disappearance of these wetlands, more recent interpretations suggest that a changing climate in conjunction with anthropic influence may have played a greater role. This paper discusses ongoing research examining the relationship between the environmental and cultural impacts of the Quilotoa eruption on coupled human-wetland systems and how these impacts continue to resonate in Ecuador today.