Gaby
A team of archaeologists from the University of São Paulo (Brazil) uncovered new evidence of a pre-colonial garden city in Bolivia where ancient Amazonian people lived. They primarily grew corn and raised Muscovy ducks.
The new research sheds light on Indigenous life in the Amazon basin before European colonization.
The team analyzed human and animal remains from Bolivia and found the local population practiced agriculture and animal husbandry before European colonization of the region.
What Did the Researchers Find?
Previous studies hinted that crops such as cassava, squash, sweet potatoes, yams, and especially corn were important across much of the Amazon long before Spanish colonization.
Researchers had argued that the Amazon Basin—once thought unsuitable for farming—supported large communities that developed into garden cities with cultivated crops and livestock. But direct evidence linking people, animals, and specific agricultural practices had been missing.
Now archaeologists turned to areas of the Bolivian Amazon occupied by the Casarabe people, especially the Llanos de Mojos region, known for its monumental mounds. The team analyzed bones from 86 humans and 68 animals — mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish — dating from 700 to 1400 CE.
They found corn was a common part of the diet, with peak consumption around 700–800 CE. Further analysis showed that Muscovy ducks were eating corn at that time, the Independent reported.
The team concluded that people were intentionally feeding these birds as early as 800 CE, and by 1100 CE the ducks were being kept as domestic animals.
The team also documented a steady decline in corn’s role as a staple after 800 CE. That decline may indicate the Casarabe diversified their agriculture or expanded trade with neighboring groups.
In their report, the team said the data show direct human management of animals in the pre-colonial Amazon, enriching our understanding of human history.
The study appeared in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.
