Keywords

Archaeology, CORONA Imagery, Reforestation, Archaeological Infrastructure Theory, GIS, Forest Islands

Abstract

Within the Llanos de Moxos of Bolivia thousands of forest islands dot the landscape. These forest islands have been shown to have been integral aspects of the pre-Contact indigenous cultures which existed there for thousands of years. Based on 1967 CORONA imagery and statistical analysis, this work provides insight into how these forest islands are integrated as infrastructure features within their landscape and surrounding network of other archaeological features. This research is carried out through investigations into changes in the size of the forest islands across an interval of 57 years, statistical attempts to categorize the forest island into smaller sub-categories, and statistical analysis of the spatial relationships between the islands and the nearby raised fields, mound fields, and atajaos. The results show a 71.09% increase in the median size of forest islands as a result of reforestation over the past 57 years. The results also show a statistically significant difference between forest islands located within one kilometer of a river and those located over one kilometer from a river based on the spatial characteristics. Finally, this work also shows that the forest islands of the region served as the center of the infrastructure networks of the region, with every other feature falling within the established 5-kilometer boundary for agricultural travel from the nearest forest island. Putting all these results together, this thesis shows that the forest islands of the Llanos de Moxos are dynamic features within the environment which stood at the center of pre-Contact infrastructure networks. Applying these results to archaeological infrastructure theory further supports the notion that complex, expansive infrastructure projects did not necessarily need a centralized state to be carried out and maintained.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Walker, John

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Department of Anthropology

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Identifier

DP0053209

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