Tiwanaku raised-field agricultural system

Timeline

1. c. 500–700Wetlands around the Tiwanaku site · BoliviaWetlands on the plateau began systematic construction of raised planting beds and parallel water channels, using the thermal capacity of water to buffer frost and improve drainage, providing quinoa, potatoes, and other crops with stable high yields.
2. c. 700–1000Khayaña and Lukurmata raised-field zones · Titicaca basinThe raised-field system expanded to tens of thousands of hectares, supporting Tiwanaku's urban population and interregional food supply, becoming the technical peak of Andean highland agricultural engineering.
3. c. 1000–1200Tiwanaku lake basin · AndesAfter Tiwanaku's political center declined, maintenance of the raised fields decreased and some plots were abandoned; the surviving landscape provides an important reference for modern highland agricultural revival and ecological research.