Researchers have uncovered extensive pre-Hispanic settlements hidden beneath the waters and vegetation of Bolivia's Great Tectonic Lakes. Using advanced LiDAR technology and collaborative fieldwork with Indigenous communities, the Grupo de Trabajo para los Llanos de Moxos has revealed a sophisticated civilization that thrived between 600 and 1400 AD, transforming vast wetlands into productive agricultural landscapes through ingenious water management systems.
The discoveries, recently published in Frontiers, challenge long-held assumptions about the Amazon being a pristine, sparsely inhabited wilderness. Instead, it reveals generations of human innovation in one of the world's most challenging environments - the seasonally flooded savannas of the Llanos de Moxos, Bolivia's largest wetland system in the Amazon basin.
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Engineering Marvels Hidden in Plain Sight
In September 2021, a team of specialists traveled to one of the least-documented areas of the Bolivian Amazon: the Great Tectonic Lakes of Exaltación in the department of Beni. The expedition, organized by the Grupo de Trabajo para los Llanos de Moxos (GTLM), brought together experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the National Museum of Natural History, the Institute of Ecology, the Biodiversity and Environment Research Center, the Aquatic Resources Research Center, and the Department of Anthropology of the Americas at the University of Bonn.
Between September 2021 and subsequent field seasons, researchers documented settlements at Paquío, Coquinal, Isla del Tesoro, and Jasschaja - each revealing different stages of habitation spanning eight centuries. What makes these findings extraordinary is the scale and sophistication of landscape engineering that allowed communities to thrive in an environment that floods dramatically with the seasons. The archaeological sites near Lakes Rogaguado and Ginebra represent one of the most significant pre-Columbian discoveries in recent years.
Panoramic view of Lake Ginebra. (O. Torrico/WCS-Bolivia./Frontiers)
LiDAR surveys covering 8.6 square kilometers revealed complex networks of circular and rectangular ditches, some measuring up to 200 meters in diameter, alongside raised agricultural fields, drainage canals, and earthen platforms.
At the Coquinal site, researchers identified quadrangular ditches measuring 136 by 136 meters with lateral channels extending 185 to 220 meters toward the lake. These structures weren't randomly placed - they represent centuries of experimentation as communities developed increasingly sophisticated methods to control water flow and create stable areas for living and farming in a wetland that transforms dramatically throughout the year.
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A Balanced Diet From Water and Land
Excavations at the Paquío site, located 200 meters from Lake Rogaguado's shore, revealed shell middens and dense ceramic refuse that provide intimate glimpses into daily life. The site yielded 1,224 bone fragments representing at least 1,092 individual animals across six taxonomic groups. Fish dominated the assemblage, with 12 species identified including wolf fish, peacock bass, and the distinctive South American lungfish. Reptiles such as caimans, aquatic turtles, and snakes complemented a diet that also included mammals like capybaras, pacas, and armadillos.
Shell middens at the Paquío site. (Credit: C. Jaimes/Frontiers)
Plant remains tell an equally compelling story. Analysis of 1,485 macroremains revealed evidence of maize cultivation alongside the harvesting of multiple palm species—moriche palm, corozo palm, cumare palm, totai palm, and peach palm. This botanical diversity, combined with the faunal evidence, points to a sophisticated subsistence strategy that balanced fishing, hunting, gathering, and agriculture. Rather than exploiting the environment unsustainably, these communities developed flexible ways of living that worked with the region's seasonal cycles, using periodic flooding as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.
Radiocarbon dating reveals two distinct occupation phases at Paquío: an early settlement around 600 AD and a more intensive occupation between 1000 and 1200 AD. The later phase coincided with the construction of extensive canal systems and raised fields connected to maize-based farming. At the nearby Jasschaja site, dating from 1300 to 1400 AD, evidence suggests intensified forest and crop management with greater botanical diversity.
Indigenous Knowledge Shapes Modern Research
The research was conducted in close collaboration with the Cayubaba and Movima Indigenous communities who continue to live in these landscapes. During the post-Covid-19 field seasons, representatives of the Cayubaba Indigenous Council, which includes 21 Cayubaba and Movima communities, assisted researchers in identifying areas for study, providing access to culturally important places, and specifying sites that should not be disturbed.
This partnership ensured the research reflected community priorities and contributed to a fuller understanding of the living heritage of the region. Through the Grupo de Trabajo para los Llanos de Moxos, Indigenous leaders and scientists are working together to link archaeological and ecological research with conservation initiatives. These efforts emphasize that the Llanos de Moxos is not only a center of biodiversity but also a landscape shaped through long human histories.
The region also holds prominence in ethnohistorical literature through its association with the legendary Land of Paititi. Historian Vera Tyuleneva's archival research suggests this area may have been the historical core of this mythical land, long sought after by explorers and missionaries since the sixteenth century. Father Agustín Zapata's 1693 account documented contact with the Cayubaba nation, led by a chief known as "El Gran Jefe Paititi," ruling over several villages with more than 2,000 individuals.
The newly discovered settlements add to a growing body of evidence suggesting the Amazon was home to far more extensive and sophisticated pre-Columbian societies than previously imagined. Similar discoveries using LiDAR technology have revealed urban centers throughout the Amazon basin, fundamentally changing our understanding of ancient Amazonian civilizations and their capacity to transform challenging environments into thriving cultural landscapes.
Top image: Raised cultivation platforms near Lake Ginebra. Source: O. Torrico/WCS-Bolivia
By Gary Manners
References
Jaimes-Betancourt, C., 2025. Landscapes that remember: clues show Indigenous Peoples have thrived in the southwestern Amazon for more than 1,000 years. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2025/11/06/landscapes-that-remember-indigenous-peoples-thrived-amazon
Jaimes-Betancourt et al., 2025. Historic landscapes, diversified livelihoods in the southwestern Amazon: the case of Lake Rogaguado and Lake Ginebra (Bolivia). Frontiers. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-archaeology/articles/10.3389/fearc.2025.1662950/full
ScienceDaily. 2025. A lost Amazon world just reappeared in Bolivia. Available at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251130205421.htm
