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Geologic Water Storage in Precolumbian Peru

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Jerry P. Fairley Jr.
Jerry P. Fairley Jr.*
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844-3022
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Abstract

Agriculture in the arid and semi-arid regions that comprise much of present-day Peru, Bolivia, and Northern Chile is heavily dependent on irrigation; however, obtaining a dependable water supply in these areas is often difficult. The precolumbian peoples of Andean South America adapted to this situation by devising many strategies for transporting, storing, and retrieving water to insure consistent supply. I propose that the “elaborated springs” found at several Inka sites near Cuzco, Peru, are the visible expression of a simple and effective system of groundwater control and storage. I call this system “geologic water storage” because the water is stored in the pore spaces of sands, soils, and other near-surface geologic materials. I present two examples of sites in the Cuzco area that use this technology (Tambomachay and Tipón) and discuss the potential for identification of similar systems developed by other ancient Latin American cultures.

La agricultura en las regiones áridas y semi-áridas que comprenden grandes partes de Perú, Bolivia y el norte de Chile depende en gran medida de la irrigación. Sin embargo en estas áreas muchas veces es difícil encontrar una fuente confiable de agua. Durante los tiempos precolombianos los pueblos andinos de América del Sur se adaptaron a esta situación usando diversas estrategias para obtener, transportar y almacenar agua con el fin de asegurar un suministro constante del fluido. En este trabajo sugiero que los “manantiales decorados” encontrados en varios sitios inkas cercanos a Cuzco, Perú, son la expresión visible de un sistema simple y efectivo de control y almacenamiento de aguas subterráneas. A este sistema lo llamo “almacenamiento geológico de agua” porque el agua es almacenada en los poros de arenas, suelos y otros materiales geológicos cercanos a la superficie. Se describen dos sitios arqueológicos, Tambomachay y Tipón, donde se utilizó este sistema de almacenamiento. Se debate además si sistemas similares fueron usados por otras culturas antiguas de la América latina.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , June 2003 , pp. 193 - 206
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 by the Society for American Archaeology.

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