A 4,000-year-old pre-Mayan fishing facility was found that helped feed 15,000 people

A pre-Maya canal system was discovered in Belize that was used to channel and catch fish, establishing a “continuity” between the Maya and a predecessor while they continued to use it.

It was initially believed to be a Mayan construction. According to numerous radiocarbon dates, archaeologists from the University of New Hampshire made the astonishing discovery that these fishing channels predated the mythical and powerful ancient civilization.

According to the researchers’ findings, they may have even contributed to the Maya’s prosperous growth, as their impressive construction allowed their predecessors to feed 15,000 people per year, according to Eleanor Harrison-Buck, professor of anthropology and director of Belize River East Archeology (BREA). . Project.

Taking advantage of the sophisticated zigzag network, the Mayans built one of the largest and most important ancient cultures in the world with a rich source of food.

An ingenious pre-Maya zigzag canal system for catching fish

In the largest inland wetland in Belize, Central America, New Hampshire researchers conducted tests on a large pre-Columbian fishing facility using drones and Good Earth. At first, they never expected that anyone other than the Mayans could develop such a sophisticated method of fishing.

The research used 26 radiocarbon dates from test excavation sites at the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary (CTWS). The canals’ existence dated back over a thousand years before the Mayans appeared, which “surprised” researchers due to their enormous size. Late Archaic hunters, gatherers and fishermen developed this system, which worked so well that the Mayans later adopted it.

“For Mesoamerica in general, we tend to think of agricultural production as the engine of civilization, but this study shows us that it was not just agriculture, but also the potential mass harvest of aquatic species,” Harrison-Buck explained in a press release.

They collected sediment samples along the walls and examined nitrogen and carbon levels to determine “environmental changes over time,” the release said. Since there was no sign of crop production in sight, they concluded that these canals served as large-scale fishing facilities.

The network diverted annual flood waters into a spring basin where they could catch thousands of fish capable of supporting a growing population, as the Mayans were estimated to number more than eight million people. This gave archaeologists a rare first link linking a predecessor to the great empire.

“It is likely that the canals facilitated annual fishing and social gatherings, which would have encouraged people to return to this area year after year and gather for longer periods of time,” said Marieka Brouwer Burg, a professor of anthropology at the university by Co-Director of Vermont and BREA.

“Such intensive investment in the landscape may have ultimately led to the development of the complex society characteristic of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization that emerged in the area around 1200 BCE.” took place.”

Wetlands, one of the most important ecosystems on earth

Wetlands have always been an important ecosystem around the world and play a critical role in the environment, said Samantha Krause, a professor of geography and environmental studies at Texas State University, in a recent press release.

“Knowing how to responsibly manage wetland resources is critical to the continued resilience of these ecosystems, both in the past and today.

“The archaic hunter-gatherers and fishers knew how to protect their resources and use them in a way that maintained these habitats rather than depleting them, which explains their long-standing occupation in this area,” a press release concludes.

The team, aided by support from the local community, plans to conduct further research “in the hope of better understanding the complexities of human-wetland interactions in the past.”