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Using drones and Google Earth imagery, archaeologists have
discovered a 4,000-year-old network of earthen canals in what’s
now Belize. The findings were published Friday in Science
Advances.
“The aerial imagery was crucial to identify this really
distinctive pattern of zigzag linear canals” running for several
miles through wetlands, said study co-author Eleanor
Harrison-Buck of the University of New Hampshire.
The team then conducted digs in Belize's Crooked Tree Wildlife
Sanctuary. The ancient fish canals, paired with holding ponds,
were used to channel and catch freshwater species such as
catfish.
“Barbed spearpoints” found nearby may have been tied to sticks
and used to spear fish, said study co-author Marieka Brouwer
Burg of the University of Vermont.
The canal networks were built as early as 4,000 years ago by
semi-nomadic people in the Yucatan coastal plain. According to
the study, the canals were used for around 1,000 years or
longer, including during the “formative” period when the Maya
began to settle in permanent farming villages and a distinctive
culture started to emerge.
“It’s really interesting to see such large-scale modifications
of the landscape so early — it shows people were already
building things,” said University of Pittsburgh archaeologist
Claire Ebert, who was not involved in the study.
At the height of Maya civilization, people in this region built
temples, roads, pyramids and other monuments. They also
developed complex systems of writing, mathematics and astronomy.
Scientists know far more about this era because there are many
more significant archaeological sites, said Ebert.
But this new study reveals a link between the earlier people on
the landscape and the later emergence of Maya culture. These
ancient channels for catching fish may have played a role in
helping later Maya pyramids rise above the Yucatan rainforest.
“This shows continuity," said University of Pennsylvania
archaeologist Jeremy Sabloff, who wasn't part of the research.
On a practical level, the fish-trapping canals helped the early
people in the region to diversify their diets and feed a growing
population, building a foundation for later cultural heights.
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