Pre-Columbian raised-field agriculture and land use in the Bolivian Amazon

    Authors

    B. S. Whitney; R. Dickau; F. E. Mayle; J. H. Walker; J. D. Soto;J. Iriarte

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    Holocene

    Keywords

    Amazonia; phytoliths; pollen; pre-Columbian archaeology; raised-field; agriculture; tropical palaeoenvironments; SOUTHWESTERN AMAZON; HISTORICAL ECOLOGY; LANDSCAPE; ENVIRONMENT; DYNAMICS; AMERICA; LLANOS; MAIZE; MOXOS; FIRE; Geography, Physical; Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

    Abstract

    We present an integrated palaeoecological and archaeobotanical study of pre-Columbian raised-field agriculture in the Llanos de Moxos, a vast seasonally inundated forest-savanna mosaic in the Bolivian Amazon. Phytoliths from excavated raised-field soil units, together with pollen and charcoal in sediment cores from two oxbow lakes, were analysed to provide a history of land use and agriculture at the El Cerro raised-field site. The construction of raised fields involved the removal of savanna trees, and gallery forest was cleared from the area by ad 310. Despite the low fertility of Llanos de Moxos soils, we determined that pre-Columbian raised-field agriculture sufficiently improved soil conditions for maize cultivation. Fire was used as a common management practice until ad 1300, at which point, the land-use strategy shifted towards less frequent burning of savannas and raised fields. Alongside a reduction in the use of fire, sweet potato cultivation and the exploitation of Inga fruits formed part of a mixed resource strategy from ad 1300 to 1450. The pre-Columbian impact on the landscape began to lessen around ad 1450, as shown by an increase in savanna trees and gallery forest. Although agriculture at the site began to decline prior to European arrival, the abandonment of raised fields was protracted, with evidence of sweet potato cultivation occurring as late as ad 1800.

    Journal Title

    Holocene

    Volume

    24

    Issue/Number

    2

    Publication Date

    1-1-2014

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    231

    Last Page

    241

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000329828000010

    ISSN

    0959-6836

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