Why did farming communities tend to have larger and more permanent settlements?

In the context of Central American and northern Andean indigenous peoples, the form and scale of communities were closely linked to their economic activities. Farming communities tended to have larger and more permanent settlements because these were established by groups that practiced the most intensive and varied food production.1

In contrast, groups that relied primarily on hunting, fishing, or gathering typically maintained the smallest houses and the most dispersed settlement patterns. The transition to a sedentary village farming life allowed for greater population density and the development of more complex social and political structures, as seen in the rise of large capital towns and cities across these regions. While intensive agriculture provided the food surplus necessary to support larger, permanent populations, it also facilitated the development of specialized roles, such as full-time religious practitioners and political leaders, and the construction of monumental architecture like temples, palaces, and ceremonial plazas.12