Regions
Ring-ditches of Baures, Bolivian Amazon
Not far from the Acre Geoglyphs in the eastern Bolivian Amazon, aerial survey and excavations have uncovered an unexpectedly complex system of ring-ditch villages and causeways. The site of Granja del Padre, near the modern village of Bella Vista, has been selected for further study. This is a 300 m diameter semi-circular ditch that was more than 2 m deep at the time of construction. Earlier excavation by project collaborators has radiocarbon-dated the occupation of the site to between AD 1200 and1400, whilst the analyses of plant-processing tools and sediments have revealed the consumption of a diversity of domesticated plants. However, we still know very little about the impact of these Late Holocene groups at a larger regional scale.