Maize monoculture supported pre-Columbian urbanism in southwestern Amazonia

Umberto Lombardo (), Lautaro Hilbert, McKenzie Bentley, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Kate Dudgeon, Albert Gaitan-Roca, José Iriarte, Andrés G. Mejía Ramón, Sergio Quezada, Marco Raczka, Jennifer G. Watling, Eduardo Neves and Francis Mayle
Additional contact information
Umberto Lombardo: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Lautaro Hilbert: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
McKenzie Bentley: University of Oxford
Christopher Bronk Ramsey: University of Oxford
Kate Dudgeon: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Albert Gaitan-Roca: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
José Iriarte: University of Exeter
Andrés G. Mejía Ramón: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Marco Raczka: University of Nottingham
Jennifer G. Watling: University of São Paulo
Eduardo Neves: University of São Paulo
Francis Mayle: University of Reading

Nature, 2025, vol. 639, issue 8053, 119-123

Abstract: Abstract The Casarabe culture (500–1400 ce), spreading over roughly 4,500 km2 of the monumental mounds region of the Llanos de Moxos, Bolivia, is one of the clearest examples of urbanism in pre-Columbian (pre-1492 ce) Amazonia. It exhibits a four-tier hierarchical settlement pattern, with hundreds of monumental mounds interconnected by canals and causeways1,2. Despite archaeological evidence indicating that maize was cultivated by this society3, it is unknown whether it was the staple crop and which type of agricultural farming system was used to support this urban-scale society. Here, we address this issue by integration of remote sensing, field survey and microbotanical analyses, which shows that the Casarabe culture invested heavily in landscape engineering, constructing a complex system of drainage canals (to drain excess water during the rainy season) and newly documented savannah farm ponds (to retain water in the dry season). Phytolith analyses of 178 samples from 18 soil profiles in drained fields, farm ponds and forested settings record the singular and ubiquitous presence of maize (Zea mays) in pre-Columbian fields and farm ponds, and an absence of evidence for agricultural practices in the forest. Collectively, our findings show how the Casarabe culture managed the savannah landscape for intensive year-round maize monoculture that probably sustained its relatively large population. Our results have implications for how we conceive agricultural systems in Amazonia, and show an example of a Neolithic-like, grain-based agrarian economy in the Amazon.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08473-y

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