America's Lost Civilisation
Earlier studies using high resolution Google earth satellite imagery shows extensive remains of ancient canals, ponds, artificial islands and harbours all along the banks of the rivers Parana, Paraguay, Amazon, the Pantanal, Tabasco in Mexico and the Louisiana seaboard. The Louisiana canals are gradually being submerged by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the numerous canals created by oil exploration companies which also makes it difficult to distinguish between ancient canals and those of modern times in the Louisiana zone.
Some views from Google Earth
Above, sunken canal complex on the Louisiana seaboard. These seem to be mostly former oil comany canals, some used for oil pipelines and other for access to drilling and exploration rigs. see Louisiana canals page
Above, amongst the oil company canal complexes, there are intriguing sites such as this one which looks like circular harbour complex from ancient times.. see Louisiana canals page
Above, the ice age shoreline (dotted) compared to the present day shoreline.
The race of people who built the canals and artificial pond complexes of South America were not farmers, but people who chose an "aquatic" environment in a flat landscape ideal for canals, ponds, and islands as their preferred habitat.
Above, in the wet season, vasts tracts of Amazonia and the Beni region of Bolivia become submerged by floodwaters. The peoples of the Beni flood plains, for example, lived on artificial mounds and built long straight causeways and canals for transportation, they also created great numbers of huge artificial ponds probably used for the capture or storage of fish stocks.
pre-Columbian fish farming in Bolivia and Amazon by Clark Erickson PhD
golden dorado fishing in Bolivia
Example of artificial ponds in Beni region of Bolivia. The lower left hand pond measures approximately 4 kilometres or 8000 Sumerian cubits which would be 20 furlongs or 2.5 miles long. click for Beni ponds page
When European explorers travelled through Amazonia in the eighteenth century, they thought they were in pristine forest. They were unaware that the region at one time had a population in the millions although Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellana who travelled the Amazon in 1542 from the Andes to the sea had reported large populations including stone built cities.
Close-up study of areas of the Amazon suggests a great number of natural ponds have been adapted for use as artificial ponds and served by a network of access canals
click for rio Amazon page
earthmovers of the Amazon by Charles C. Mann
With the clearance of Amazonian forest areas in recent years, large earthworks which came to be called "geoglyphs" came into view. Obviously, at the time these earthqorks were constructed, they were not constructed in forests but in clear land, also they were not "geoglyphs" in the sense of giant drawings on the ground, but had practical purposes such as residential areas or water storage/fish farming etc.
the pristine myth by William M. Denevan Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin
geoglyphs of the Amazon
Typical earthwork called a "geoglyph" from the Acre region of Brasil, near the border with Beni and Bolivia
Typical "geoglyph" earthworks,
Above, the river Amazon and it's tributaries provided transportation routes into the heartlands of South America, including via the rivers Madeira, Madre de Dios, Beni and Mamore into the Beni region of Bolivia. Note how the canal Casiquiare joins the rio Orinocco to the rio Negro and thus the Amazon.
Above, this section of ancient engineered canal joins the river Orinocco to the river Amazon see canal Orinocco to Amazon page
Above, example of man-made canal in Amazonia, there are many examples linking rivers and tributaries and giving access to oxbow lakes and ponds. see canals Amazon rio page
The upper entrance to the interlink (Auati Paraná) joining a tributary to the Amazon showing signs of canalisation. see canals Amazon rio west page
ancient canals in the rio Parana see canals Parana rio page
Example of artificial ponds and canalised rivers alongside rio Parana. The oval pond is about 125 metres or about 450 Sumerian cubits long.
This tributary running down into the rio Parana has been heavily modified with canals, islands and ponds.
The complex continues alongside the rio Parana.
Above, example from rio Paraguay showing how complexes of river bends have been adapted with transverse channels to provide river access to oxbow lakes converting them into ponds and harbours adapted from the original natural levees... see canals Paraguay rio page
Typical utilised oxbow lake formations in the Beni region of the rio Mamore. Interconnecting feeder channels have been dug to supply the naturally curved lakes with water and access.... see Beni page
Many oxbow lakes appear to be joined by interconnecting feeder channels which also give water access from the main river. ....
Example of artificial ponds and islands in the Pantanal region of Paraguay. see Pantanal page
Example of artificial ponds and canals in the Gulf Coast region of Louisiana. see canals Louisiana page
Above, example of hilltop surrounded by the remains of concentric irrigation channels and remains of fossilised agriculture system on the Altiplano, Bolivia see earthquakes page
Above, in this close-up view the fossilised agriculture system appears as parallel embankments and earthquake fissures can be clearly seen.
Above, this photo clearly shows how the ancient, disused system of agriculture has been abandoned and built over by later peoples who constructed walled enclosures (the thin, sharp lines), hence site visitors usually only see evidence of the later peoples.
Above, This ringed hill on the Peruvian side of the Altiplano shows the remains of concentric irrigation channels which would originally have supplied terraces and agriculture on the hillside, now disappeared.
Above, close-up view of concentric rings shows these circles to be the remains of concentric ancient irrigation channels on this ridge south of Turco near Oruro, Bolivia.
The above canal in Tabasco, Mexico measures 208ft wide, the same as two sections of similar canal near Oruro, Bolivia.
above, oblique view of section of unexplained canal 200ft wide near Oruro, Bolivia.
above, the satellite measures another section of canal near Oruro as 200 feet (60 metres)wide. see Paria, Oruro canals page
This plot in Tabasco, Mexico measures 1650 feet per side which would be 1000 Sumerian cubits of 19.8" per side
or 10 x 10 "stades" of 100 sumerian cubits per side. see canals, Tabasco view page
above, this block in Tres Zapotes, Veracruz, Mexico measures 1650 feet wide so is 1000 Sumerian cubits square and is divided into strips of 200 x 1000 cubits i.e. 330ft wide, which would also be 96 x 480 Mayan hunabs.
above, these adjacent plots near Tucume, Peru are 330 feet wide which is 200 Sumerian cubits of 19.8" or 1 stade of 330ft as found on the Bolivian Altiplano. see Peru, cubits and calendar page
This plot in Tabasco, Mexico measures 3,300 feet square, making it 10 x 10 "stades" of 330ft - each would contain 10 x 10 of the 330ft plots found on the Bolivian Altiplano.
These channels on the Bolivian Altiplano north west of La Paz region are in regular plots of 330ft confirming the use of the 330ft stade to describe the rectangular plain next to Lake Poopo.
the above earthwork in Acre, Brasil (not far from the Beni and Bolivian border) measures 200 Sumerian cubits wide.....
the above earthwork in acre, Brasil (not far from the Beni and Bolivian border) measures 500 Sumerian cubits wide.....
The satellite measures the intended distance between the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan, Mexico, as 2,640 feet which would be 2400 Sumerian feet. In Sumerian units, it would also be 1600 cubits, 4000 links or 4800 shusi.
For the ancient city of Teotihuacan in Mexico, archaeologists Drewitt (1969, 1987) and Drucker (1971,1974, 1977's) proposed it had been set out in units of 805 mm (31.692"). Unknown to them, the unit they proposed was 48 Sumerian units called shusi of 0.66" or 4 x links of 12 shusi. In the units of Drewitt and Drucker the distance between the above Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon would be 1,000 of these units of 48 shusi, confirming that Drewitt and Drucker had made a correct assessment, but using different multiples of shusi.
The satellite measures the intended distance distance between the pyramid of the Sun and the pyramid in the Temple of Quetzalcoatl (also called the "Citadel") as 3,960 feet which would be 3600 Sumerian feet. In Sumerian units it would also be 2400 cubits, 6000 links or 72000 shusi. In the units of Drewitt and Drucker which was 4 x links or 48 shusi, it would be 1,500 of these units, confirming again that Drewitt and Drucker had made a correct assessment, but using different multiples of shusi.
see Teotihuacan cubits page
In Tiwanaku, Bolivia, Artur Posnansky suggested a unit called a ‘loka’ of 175 cm. Unknown to him, three ‘loka’ of 175 cm are equal to 10 Egyptian Royal Cubits of 525 mm. Others say a ‘loka’ measures 600mm - but this would be 2 x Egyptian feet of 300mm. Both "Egyptian" cubits and "Sumerian" cubits can often be found together at the same sites in the Americas because the Sumerian cubit is 24/25ths of the Egyptian cubit, a field which is 100 Sumerian cubits can be easily divided into 100, 50 or 25 Sumerian cubits as whole numbers, or as 96, 48, 24, 12, 6 or 3 Egyptian cubits as whole numbers.
above, the Puma Punka in Tiwanaku measured 500 Sumerian feet or 100 Sumerian double yards wide.....
see atlantis stade page for explantion of Sumerian and Egyptian cubits
Above, The Mayans and Aztecs are well known for their 20 day calendars. In the oldest part of Tiwanaku in Bolivia there existed a solar calendar of 20 months which every three years also intermeshed with a lunar calendar of 40 months.
Above, when the sun reached the end of the pillars,
it appeared to "stand still" before beginning
its journey back in the opposite direction.
see lost calendar andes page
Selection of related studies,
rio Parana canals, ponds and islands rio Paraguay levees canals rio Parana delta canals Corrientes
rio Amazon to Manaus rio Amazon west from Manaus rio Orinocco to Amazon canal
flooding dates on the Altiplano atlantis canals on the Altiplano canals gallery Chipaya canals gallery
canals in Peru Caral, Peru containment canal Tabasco, Mexico canals gallery canals Louisiana
Paria, Oruro containment canals canal to sea (lago UruUru) Pantanal Beni, Moxos gallery
geoforms - Bolivian altiplano
agricultural variations on the Altiplano
contour forms/irrigation Peru contourforms/irigation Bolivia Bombo earthquake route Bombo route oblique views
Atlantis stade - Egyptian and Sumerian cubits
Peru cubits and calendar
cubits between altiplano canals
Teotihuacan measuring unit Teotihuacan citadel measuring units
Chichen Itza and El Castillo measuring units Monte Alban, measuring units Atlantis stones gallery
the Tiwanaku soli-lunar calendar the Muisca calendar Lost Calendar of the Andes Decoding the quipu mathematics
Above, political map with modern boundaries. Maps with latitude and longitude are more useful for identifying sites from Google Earth imagery.
J.M. Allen, June 2011