Waru Waru
Pre-Hispanic raised-field agriculture of the Andes.
Waru Waru, also known as *camellones* in Spanish, is an ancient agricultural system developed by pre-Hispanic peoples across the Andes, from Ecuador down to Bolivia. The method involves digging parallel canals and piling the soil into raised planting beds. These fields were always placed on floodplains or close to a water source to make irrigation easy. The soil in the flooded canals became rich in nutrients thanks to aquatic plants and other organic matter. When this muck was heaped up to form the beds, it created a natural, renewable fertilizer—a big advantage in a region where nitrogen-rich soil was scarce. During the day, the raised beds trapped solar heat, which protected crops from freezing at night. The adjacent canals irrigated the beds so efficiently that the growing season stretched out significantly, leading to higher food yields. Overall, this system produced more food than older farming methods.
This technique dates back to around 300 B.C. and is most closely linked to the Tiwanaku culture in southern Bolivia’s Lake Titicaca region, where it was used to grow potatoes and quinoa. The fields also created artificial ecosystems that attracted fish and lake birds, which past cultures in the area likely used as additional food sources. By combining raised beds with irrigation channels, Waru Waru prevented soil erosion during floods. The system could collect water—from rivers, rain, or underground sources—and then drain it away, making it especially useful in places prone to sudden, heavy floods, like the tropical parts of Bolivia and Peru where it first appeared. Similar raised-field methods have been used in other countries, including China, Mexico, and Belize. Mexican Chinampas, for example, were also built on or near water sources for irrigation, and raised fields have been found at sites like Pulltrouser Swamp in Belize.
**Modern Uses**
In the 1960s, geographers William Denevan, George Plafker, and Kenneth Lee discovered evidence of raised-field agriculture in Bolivia’s Llanos de Moxos region of the Amazon basin. This area had been thought unable to support large-scale farming due to its rainforest environment. The discovery led to an experimental archaeology project involving archaeologist Clark Erickson, the Inter-American Foundation, the Parroquia of San Ignacio, the Bolivian Institute of Archaeology, and the University of Pennsylvania Museu
- field
- Agriculture
- region
- Andes (Ecuador to Bolivia)
- associated_culture
- Tiwanaku
- earliest_date
- around 300 B.C.
- known_for
- Raised field agriculture with irrigation canals
- modern_revival_start
- 1984
Lore & Background
Waru Waru fields were composed of soil rich in nutrients due to aquatic plants and other organic materials. By mounding this soil to create planting beds, natural, recyclable fertilizer was made available in a region where nitrogen-rich soils were rare. The raised beds trapped solar radiation during the day, protecting crops from freezing overnight, and the adjacent canals irrigated efficiently, extending the growing season and increasing food yield. This technique also created artificial ecosystems that attracted fish and lake birds, which past cultures likely used as additional food sources.
Reader's Guide
Waru Waru represents a significant pre-Hispanic innovation in agricultural engineering, enabling sustained large-scale food production in the harsh altiplano environment around Lake Titicaca. The system combined raised beds with irrigation channels to prevent soil erosion during floods, and ensured both water collection and drainage, making it particularly useful in areas prone to brutal floods in tropical parts of Bolivia and Peru. Modern revival efforts, beginning with geographers in the 1960s and later experimental archaeology projects in the 1990s, demonstrated that this method could successfully produce crops like manioc and maize without extensive upkeep, and without relying on deforestation. Contemporary Aymara- and Quechua-speaking peoples in Bolivia and Peru have revived the technique, using it to farm the altiplano and Amazon basin efficiently without modern equipment. The method's ability to mitigate frost, as shown by experiments near Lake Titicaca, and its self-sustaining artificial ecosystems, underscore its enduring relevance for sustainable agriculture in challenging environments.
Did You Know?
- Waru Waru fields are generally 4 to 10 m wide, 10 to 100 m long, and 1 m tall.
- Pre-Hispanic raised fields cover about 82,000 ha of land in Bolivia and Peru.
- Radiocarbon dates from associated habitation sites indicate usage between 1000 B.C. to A.D. 400.
- The technique was revived in 1984 by Alan Kolata in Tiwanaku, Bolivia and Puno, Peru.
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