La Mojana ancient hydraulic system built by community cooperation, study finds

New research published in Communications Sustainability suggests that the vast ancient hydraulic landscape of La Mojana in Colombia’s Caribbean wetlands was built through community cooperation rather than centralized command. The system, which spans approximately 500,000 hectares, consists of raised earthen ridges and canals designed to manage floods and droughts.

Archaeologists from the University of Cambridge, the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH), and the University of Santiago de Compostela challenged the long-held assumption that such large-scale engineering required hierarchical chiefdoms or powerful rulers. By mapping a 500-hectare section near San Marcos, Sucre, researchers calculated that a working community of 800 people could have constructed the studied system in just three to six weeks.

This finding suggests that pre-Hispanic farmers utilized organized, collective action to maintain technological sophistication, rather than relying on state-led quotas or strict social hierarchies.