Variation in Holocene El Nino frequencies: Climate records and cultural consequences in ancient Peru

Analysis of mollusks from archaeological sites on the north and central coa sts of Fern indicates that between ca. 5800 and 3200-2800 cal yr B.P., El N ino events were less frequent than today, with modern, rapid recurrence int ervals achieved only after that time. For several millennia prior to 5.8 ha , El Nino events had been absent or very different from today. The phenomen a called Fl Nino have had severe consequences for the modern and colonial ( historically recorded) inhabitants of Fern, and El Nino events also influen ced prehistoric cultural development: the onset of El Nino events at 5.8 ha correlates temporally with the beginning of monumental temple construction on the Peruvian coast, and the increase in El Nino frequency after 3.2-2.8 ka correlates with the abandonment of monumental temples in the same regio n.