ABSTRACT
When two or more natural disasters transpire in close succession in the same region, as they have in certain Andean cases, the collateral crises produce what can be termed a “convergent catastrophe.” Convergent catastrophe is best characterized by means of an analogy with disease. Suffered individually, a natural illness or a natural disaster is generally survived by a healthy population. Incidents of convergent catastrophe increase with elevated frequencies and varieties of natural hazards. The paradigms of plate tectonics and ocean/atmosphere interaction characterize the Andean Cordillera as an exceptionally dynamic region subject to many forms of physical change that can be stressful to biological life. Diagnosing past cases of convergent catastrophe is new, and some common types of disasters, such as earthquakes, are not yet readily identifiable in antiquity. These limitations create a situation similar to performing an autopsy without being able to recognize the symptoms of certain diseases.
