Gallery of canals around Oruro on the Bolivian Altiplano

Canals Gallery

A selection of satellite images, some of them of almost art-like quality, which show the extent of canalisation and abandoned cultivations on the Bolivian Altiplano around ORURO.

Cultivations have recently started in the area again with quinoa being a popular crop, small areas of new canals can be clearly seen, usually in irregular patches, while other more ancient canals are sometimes reused and maintained however an enormous number of old canals appear to have been abandoned and disused for a considerable time, probably since the time of the Conquest when agriculture was abandoned and the people set to work in the mines.

One of the key factors of Atlantis as described by Plato was a level plain which was criss-crossed by a system of irrigation and drainage canals. These satellite images show that alternate flooding and drought along with irrigation for cultivation has always been a key feature of the Altiplano near Oruro.

map oruro region

Oruro link to satellite, pan and zoom

La Joya south west
la joya

la joya canals

keymap

La Joya north
la joya

Paria west (below)
canal between parallel embankments about 200ft (60 metres) apart
paria canal

canal between parallel embankments about 200ft (60 metres) apart

For more images of the above canal please see Paria Oruro canals page

Paria canal link to satellite zoom and pan

Oruro north towards Paria

Oruro west to rio Desaguadero

Oruro west to rio Desaguadero canal between parallel embankments about 100ft (33 metres) apart (below)

Oruro section of west to rio Desaguadero canal (below)

Oruro west lake

Oruro south

Machacamarca north

Poopo village area

Pazna village area

rio Desaguadero discharge to lago UruUru
canal around 200ft (60 metres) wide between embankments

For more images of the above canal please see Paria Oruro canals page

Desaguadero large canal, link to satellite pan and zoom

Above, wells and canals beneath lago UruUru (lake Poopo).

into lago UruUru

between Oruro and lago Poopo

canals village link to satellite, pan and zoom
The region between Oruro and the northern edge of lake Poopo known as "El Choro" shows an enormous concentration of parallel straight canals

canals el choro Altiplano
Above, old canals disappearing beneath the sands.

Near here there is also a huge concentration of small square plots, see below.

dry canals zone, link to satellite, pan and zoom

Above, a system of parallel canals extended beneath what is now the edge of the rio Desaguadero.

Above, beneath the diagonal canal there is an even older system of parallel canals.

Above, the close-up shows more clearly an older system of parallel canals benath the diagonal canal.

through and under the rio Desaguadero

the parallel canals passing through the edge of the rio Desaguadero show this part has sunk and the river expanded since the canals were first made.

Above, this canal runs beneath the edge of the rio Desaguadero to the old course of the river.

Above, this canal reaches to what would have been the original course of the rio Desaguadero on the right hand side of the frame.

Ponds north-west of Pampa Aullagas

These appear to be small articficial ponds dug in rows.

Above, the ponds are connected by small channels.

Similar artificial ponds also exist south-west of Pampa Aullagas.