Spanish term
Works in: Spanish to English
hiato
I think that this can be very simply translated as "hiatus" or even "gap", in this context:
Los estudios interdisciplinarios realizados en el área centro sur andina (Sur del Perú, centro sur de Bolivia, noroeste argentino y norte de Chile) tienden a demostrar que durante el Holoceno Medio se extendió un régimen árido continental , que afecto a las ocupaciones arcaicas hasta los inicios del Holoceno Tardío, cuando se identifican las primeras ocupaciones formativas (Núñez et al 2005). Efectivamente, este hiato está presente en las tierras bajas de la quebrada Mani, en Pampa del Tamarugal (Ugalde et al.2012), como en la circunpuna de la vertiente occidental del cuenca de Atacama (Nuñez et al. 2005). Además se observa en varios abrigos bajo roca a lo largo de la prolongación trasandina oriental (Aschero 2000), incluyendo el altiplano meridional ( Albarracin-Jordan y Capriles 2011).
But I am not sure, as all the dictionary definitions of "hiato" are related to its linguistic meaning, which obviously makes no sense here...
| 5 +6 | hiatus |
Rosa Paredes
|
| 3 | hiatus or gap (intervening period) |
Yvonne Gallagher
|
Non-PRO (2): Jim Tucker (X), Rosa Paredes
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Proposed translations
Canada
Criminal, Civil and Immigration Law
Native in: English 
, Spanish (Variants: Mexican, Latin American, Chilean, Standard-Spain)
Works in: Spanish to English, English to Spanish, French to English, and 3 more.
hiatus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiatus
Saludos....
Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: UK, US, Canadian, Irish) 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
hiatus or gap (intervening period)
http://thesaurus.com/browse/hiatus?s=t
pause, interruption
Synonyms: aperture, blank, breach, break, chasm, discontinuity, gap, interim, interval, lacuna, lapse, opening, rift, space
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Note added at 2 hrs (2013-01-23 02:05:26 GMT)
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the text is talking about the different periods
"durante el Holoceno Medio se extendió un régimen árido continental , que afecto a las ocupaciones arcaicas"
then
" hasta los inicios del Holoceno Tardío, cuando se identifican las primeras ocupaciones formativas "
Efectivamente, este HIATO
so the intervening gap from one period to the start of the next
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