No Bosses: Ancient Engineering Marvel Was Built Without Rulers, Study Suggests
A 2,000-year-old canal system in Colombia visible from space was long assumed to be built at the direction of powerful rulers. New evidence is turning that assumption on its head.
An ancient Colombian canal network spanning 2,000 square miles was built without rulers or top-down social organization, according to a study published in Communications Sustainability. The network, known as the Zenú hydraulic systems, was constructed by the La Mojana lowlands' inhabitants between the first century BC and the 11th century.
These structures, including raised fields, ridges, and canals, managed water and provided it for agriculture and fish consumption. Researchers used satellite imagery to map a 1,200-acre section and built a model to estimate labor costs. They found that a workforce of 800 could have built the largest raised ridge in just hours, while a family could build smaller ridges in a few days.
The whole system could be renewed in just a few days annually. This discovery challenges the notion that large-scale infrastructure requires centralized power, and instead suggests that collective labor can achieve ambitious goals.
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