Valley of cities that flourished 2,000 years ago in Amazon

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Laser-sensor technology reveals network of earthen mounds and buried roads in rainforest area of Ecuador


This Lidar image shows complexes of rectangular platforms distributed along wide dug streets at the Kunguints site, Upano Valley, in Ecuador. Photograph: Antoine Dorison, Stéphen Rostain/AP

Archaeologists have uncovered a cluster of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest that was home to at least 10,000 farmers about 2,000 years ago.

A series of earthen mounds and buried roads in Ecuador was first noticed more than two decades ago by archaeologist Stéphen Rostain. But at the time, “I wasn’t sure how it all fit together,” said Rostain, one of the researchers who reported on the finding in the journal Science on Thursday.

Recent mapping by laser-sensor technology revealed those sites to be part of a dense network of settlements and connecting roadways, tucked into the forested foothills of the Andes, that lasted about 1,000 years.

“It was a lost valley of cities,” said Rostain, who directs investigations at France’s National Center for Scientific Research. “It’s incredible.”

The settlements were occupied by the Upano people between about 500BC and AD300 to 600 – a period roughly contemporaneous with the Roman empire in Europe, the researchers found.

Residential and ceremonial buildings erected on more than 6,000 earthen mounds were surrounded by agricultural fields with drainage canals. The largest roads were 33 feet (10 meters) wide and stretched for 6-12 miles (10-20km).

While it is difficult to estimate populations, the site was home to at least 10,000 inhabitants – and perhaps as many as 15,000 or 30,000 at its peak, said archaeologist Antoine Dorison, a study co-author at the same French institute. That is comparable to the estimated population of Roman-era London, then Britain’s largest city.

“This shows a very dense occupation and an extremely complicated society,” said the University of Florida archaeologist Michael Heckenberger, who was not involved in the study. “For the region, it’s really in a class of its own in terms of how early it is.”

José Iriarte, a University of Exeter archaeologist, said it would have required an elaborate system of organized labor to build the roads and thousands of earthen mounds.

“The Incas and Mayans built with stone, but people in Amazonia didn’t usually have stone available to build – they built with mud. It’s still an immense amount of labor,” said Iriarte, who had no role in the research.

The Amazon is often thought of as a “pristine wilderness with only small groups of people. But recent discoveries have shown us how much more complex the past really is,” he said.

Scientists have recently also found evidence of intricate rainforest societies that predated European contact elsewhere in the Amazon, including in Bolivia and in Brazil.

“There’s always been an incredible diversity of people and settlements in the Amazon, not only one way to live,” said Rostain. “We’re just learning more about them.”

[ExomatrixTV]

• Laser Mapping Reveals Urban, Self-sustaining Amazonian Cities Built 2,500 Years Ago:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=PzyI-2MrPp4

Starts: 5:22

• Lost Beneath The Leaves: Lasers Reveal An Ancient Amazonian Civilisation:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=VaXrX0veR9Y

Pyramids and canals built by an ancient civilisation have been discovered beneath the forests of the Bolivian Amazon. LiDAR technology allowed archaeologists to see through the canopy to reveal hundreds of previously unknown structures and settlements from the Casarabe culture of 500-1400 AD. In this film archaeologist Heiko Prümers describes his work in a region long thought to be unable to support complex ancient societies.

• nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04780-4

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• How The “Lost Cities” Of The Amazon Were Finally Found:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=dphq5X-rMew

The Amazon has always been one of the most mysterious places on earth.

When European colonizers arrived in the 16th century, they were captivated by rumors of a golden city, hidden somewhere in the rainforest. Their search for “El Dorado” lasted more than a century, but only resulted in disaster, death, and further conquest of the indigenous people there.

Experts thereafter looked at the Amazon and saw only a desolate jungle; too harsh for extensive agriculture and therefore sparsely populated. They believed that it had always been this way.

Until recently.

Beginning in the late 20th century, archaeologists began looking more closely at the forest floor. Working with the indigenous people who still remained there, they excavated long ditches and mounds. After mapping them, they could see that these were the markings of large settlements; walls, moats, plazas, and roads that connected even more settlements. And they were all over the Amazon.

Further reading:

The Lost City of Z, David Grann
Exploration Fawcett: Journey to the Lost City of Z, Percy Fawcett

• forbes.com/sites/davidanderson/2019/04/30/the-lore-of-lost-cities-imagining-the-lost-city-of-z

[ExomatrixTV]

• The Legends of El Dorado: "City of Gold" (Full Episode) | Lost Cities with Albert Lin:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=yYaBiPzSaPI

National Geographic Explorer and scientist Albert Lin travels to Colombia to learn the truth behind the legends of El Dorado.

[ExomatrixTV]

• We Just Found Something In the Amazon That Rewrites History:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=GBqKdqKQd5c

• Unusual markings in the Amazon rainforest, suggesting it may have supported a large human civilization in the past.
• Contrary to common belief, recent discoveries indicate that millions of people, potentially over five million, might have lived in the heart of the rainforest.
• Successful civilizations in other parts of the Americas, like the Aztec and Inca, developed large-scale agriculture, which was thought necessary for permanent settlements.
• However, Amazonian inhabitants may have bypassed traditional agricultural requirements, leading to organized communities.
• The first European exploration of the Amazon in 1542 by Francisco de Orellana, who encountered advanced human settlements.
• Orellana described a remarkable 15-mile-long town, challenging the belief that such civilizations could not exist without European influence.
• Following his expedition, subsequent European explorers found the Amazon deserted, reinforcing the narrative that it was sparsely populated.
• The arrival of Spanish conquistadors brought smallpox, decimating the indigenous population and leading to the abandonment of cities.
• Recent advancements in technology, particularly lidar scanning, have revealed hidden structures in the Amazon, indicating sophisticated civilizations once thrived there.
• Reflecting on the potential for even older civilizations that may have existed prior to those documented in history, suggesting a still incomplete understanding of human history.

Unusual markings in the Amazon rainforest, suggesting that it may have been home to a large human civilization in the past, contrary to the common belief that it has never been settled beyond sporadic tribes. The Amazon, vast and dense, has long been considered inhospitable for large settlements, leading scholars to conclude that no significant cities existed there. However, recent discoveries indicate that millions of people, potentially over five million, might have lived in the heart of the rainforest, challenging existing anthropological assumptions. Successful civilizations in other parts of the Americas, like the Aztec and Inca, developed large-scale agriculture, which was thought necessary for permanent settlements. Yet, the Amazonian inhabitants may have bypassed this agricultural requirement, leading to large, organized communities. The discussion sets the stage for exploring these new findings, beginning with the first European exploration of the Amazon in 1542 by Francisco de Arana, who was searching for food and stumbled upon the region.

The journey of Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana, who, in 1542, accidentally explored the entire Amazon River, witnessing advanced human settlements along its banks. Orellana described a remarkable 15-mile-long town, challenging the belief that such civilizations couldn't exist without European influence. However, after his expedition, subsequent European explorers found the Amazon deserted, leading to a long-held narrative that it was never densely populated. The arrival of Spanish conquistadors brought smallpox, which devastated the indigenous population, potentially killing up to 90% and causing the abandonment of these cities. This loss of life and culture went unnoticed due to the lack of European presence during the epidemic. Recent advancements in technology, particularly lidar scanning, have revealed hidden structures in the Amazon, indicating that sophisticated civilizations once thrived there, interconnected by canals and causeways, contradicting the long-standing belief that the region was sparsely populated.

The existence of a large, organized civilization in the Amazon prior to Columbus, suggesting that it was not just a collection of small settlements but a multi-city society with a hierarchical leadership. Despite the common belief that such civilizations require mass agriculture, the Amazon's poor soil quality challenges this notion. The video posits that instead of traditional farming, these ancient Amazonians practiced a form of gardening, cultivating biodiverse plant species without clearing vast areas of rainforest. As the population grew and large animals and fruit became extinct, they began domesticating certain plants, creating communal garden plots that prevented the rise of elite hierarchies. However, around 2,500 years ago, they innovatively transformed the nutrient-poor soil by adding charcoal and organic materials, creating a fertile soil known as Terra Preta. This allowed for the cultivation of crops on a larger scale without extensive deforestation, supporting large cities. The locations of these fertile patches often aligned with the sites of ancient cities, highlighting a unique form of sustainable agriculture that differed from other civilizations.

The absence of visible ruins in the Amazon when European explorers returned in the late 17th century, despite earlier accounts of advanced civilizations. Diseases like smallpox decimated the population, but the lack of ruins is attributed to the indigenous people building their cities primarily from wood, which rotted away in the humid climate. Archaeological evidence is now revealing a sophisticated network of interconnected cities sustained by advanced gardening and agroforestry practices, challenging the notion that large, complex societies require intensive agriculture. The indigenous Amazonians were skilled engineers and city planners, creating vibrant societies that thrived without extensive deforestation. This challenges the narrative of indigenous peoples as mere caretakers of nature, highlighting their contributions to sustainable practices. Reflecting on the potential for even older civilizations that may have existed before those documented in history, suggesting that our understanding of human history is still incomplete.