ABSTRACT
An optimal situation would be one in which a prehistoric project brought more land under cultivation than is farmed in the same area with the benefit of modern technology. In spite of mitigating factors the contrast between ancient and modern times is dramatic and reflects a substantial degree of agrarian collapse. Economic growth in an Andean state was basically a matter of increasing control of agrarian output. Agrarian collapse on the northwest side of the Moche Valley was late, massive, and swift. The temporary changes in sea currents resulted in massive loss of marine fauna. Meteorological shifts resulted in torrential rains and extensive flooding of coastal lands. A common strategy involving land manipulation entailed the creation of farm plots by excavating a planting surface down to a depth close enough to the water table so that naturally occurring moisture was available for plant growth.
