Formulas Estimate Site’s Workforce and Organization RequirementsTo shed more light on the people behind these impressive technological feats, the study authors used satellite imagery of the entire area. These images allowed the team to map out a 500-hectare portion of the pre-Hispanic field systems. A Small, Cooperative Workforce Without a Central Authority Likely Built CanalsWhen the researchers used a population of 1,600 estimated from other evidence, their workforce was calculated at roughly half. They also note that such actions could be taken on a local level, with the need for state intervention reflecting the local cooperative spirit of the site’s original designers. The study “Collective labour and sustainability of pre-Hispanic field systems in La Mojana” was published in Communications Sustainability.