Overview
- The peer-reviewed study, published Tuesday, August 11, 2026, presents quantitative evidence that La Mojana’s enormous canal and ridge systems are compatible with rapid, locally organised construction rather than centralized rule.
- Researchers mapped a 500–1,235 acre sample near San Marcos using satellite imagery and recorded about 1,600 ridges and 63 raised housing platforms to measure shape, volume and spatial layout.
- A conservative labour model based on local soils and pre-metal tools shows a single canal-ridge could be built in under two months by roughly 800 workers, making community cooperation a feasible building strategy.
- The raised fields and canals managed large water volumes to reduce flood damage, store water for dry seasons, improve soil fertility and likely support fish trapping, giving the system multiple resilience functions.
- The project released open-source code through the ERC-funded REVERSEACTION team and the authors link their findings to modern policy by urging locally led, inundation-working strategies after repeated breaches of the Caregato dyke since 2021.