4,000-Year-Old Fish Canals Discovered in Belize Shed Light on Pre-Maya Engineering

Archaeologists identify ancient canal systems used for large-scale fish trapping, offering insights into early landscape modification and the rise of Maya civilization.

Researchers used drones and Google Earth imagery to uncover a network of zigzagging canals and ponds spanning 42 square kilometers in Belize's Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary.
Radiocarbon dating indicates the canal system was constructed around 2000 BCE, during the late Archaic Period, and was used for over 1,000 years.
The canals funneled fish into holding ponds during seasonal water receding, providing a sustainable food source capable of supporting up to 15,000 people annually.
This large-scale fishery predates the Maya civilization and highlights early innovations in landscape engineering that contributed to the development of complex societies.
The findings reveal a connection between pre-Maya practices and the later cultural and urban advancements of the Maya, including their monumental architecture and agricultural systems.