Pre-Hispanic Farmers Built Vast Canal Network in Colombia
Archaeologists have discovered that a vast pre-Hispanic agricultural field network in Colombia was built and maintained by family groups working in cooperation.
## Cooperative Effort Behind Ancient Canal Network Archaeologists have made a significant discovery in Colombia, revealing that a vast pre-Hispanic agricultural field network was built and maintained by family groups working in cooperation. The network, which spans approximately 2,000 square miles in the La Mojana region, was in use from the first centuries b.c. until the eleventh century a.d. The raised field systems, composed of canals and ridges, were previously believed to have been built by people following the orders of powerful chiefs. However, a team of researchers from the University of Cambridge analyzed satellite imagery of a two-square-mile area of La Mojana and recorded the volume and size of some 1,600 ridges. They then used statistical methods to determine how much labor would have been needed to construct the field system. According to archaeologist Jasmine Vieri, the data suggests that one of these canal-ridge systems could have been built in less than two months, around half of a dry season. This is a far lower labor investment than has been previously assumed, and is manageable through cooperation. ## Lessons for Modern Policymakers The ancient field systems may hold some lessons for modern policymakers searching for new land use models in the region. The researchers suggest that the cooperative effort behind the construction of the canal network could provide a model for sustainable land use and management. The discovery is part of a larger trend in archaeology, where researchers are reevaluating their understanding of pre-Hispanic governments. As Vieri noted, the data tells a very different story from the one previously assumed, and highlights the importance of cooperation in the construction of these ancient field systems. ## A New Perspective on Pre-Hispanic Societies The discovery of the cooperative effort behind the construction of the canal network challenges the traditional view of pre-Hispanic societies as hierarchical chiefdoms. Instead, it suggests that these societies were capable of complex organization and cooperation, and that their achievements should not be underestimated. The research has been published in the journal Communications Sustainability, and provides a new perspective on the pre-Hispanic societies of Colombia. The discovery highlights the importance of cooperation and collaboration in the construction of these ancient field systems, and provides a valuable lesson for modern policymakers searching for new land use models in the region.
