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Daniel H. Sandweiss and Jeffrey Quilter
5.6. Population, risk, and complexity on the Peruvian coast, 8000–6000 BP. See figure
5.5 caption for sources. Figure drafted by Kurt Rademaker.
social classes at monumental centers, and a diversifying economy. The
rate of population growth increased notably (figure 5.7).
• From ca. 3000 cal BP to present, El Niño variability fluctuated within
the range of modern variability. Population grew rapidly until the
Spanish Conquest in the early 1530s and then plunged precipitously.
Complexity also increased, from state-level societies to large (ultimately
pan-Andean) empires (figure 5.8).
Though very broadly painted, this record shows that through the prehistoric
era on the coast of Peru, increasing population and growing complexity
were accompanied by ever greater risk from natural hazards. In stark contrast,
the demographic collapse after the 1530s was not caused by natural disasters
but instead resulted from human-induced disasters—warfare, economic and
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