The immense city discovered in the Amazon that changes knowledge about the first cultures in Latin America

New research describes a huge ancient city in the Amazon that had been hidden beneath the lush vegetation of the jungle for thousands of years.

According to the study authors, this city changes what we know about the history of the people living in the Amazon.

The city is located in the Upano area, in the Amazon region in eastern Ecuador.

The houses and squares of this city were connected by an astonishing network of roads and canals.

The area lies in the shadow of a volcano that created rich soils, but may also have led to the destruction of society.

Although there were already known cities in the highlands of South America, such as Machu Picchu in Peru, it was believed that the people of the Amazon lived only nomadically or in small settlements.

“This is an older site than any other we know in the Amazon,” said Professor Stephen Rostain, research director at the French National Center for Scientific Research, who led the study.

“We have a Eurocentric view of civilization, but this shows that we need to change our idea of ​​what culture and civilization are.”

“This changes the way we see Amazonian cultures. Most people imagine small groups, probably naked, living in huts and clearing land; “This shows that ancient people lived in complex urban societies,” says co-author Antoine Dorison.

The city under the jungle

The city was built about 2500 years ago and according to archaeologists, people lived there until about 1,000 years ago.

It is difficult to estimate exactly how many people lived there at any given time, but scientists say it was certainly around 10,000, if not 100,000.

Archaeologists combined ground excavations with a survey of an area of ​​300 square kilometers using laser sensors that identified remains of the city beneath the dense plants and trees.

This LiDAR technology found 6,000 rectangular platforms of approximately 20 by 10 meters and 2-3 meters high.

They were arranged in groups of three to six units around a square with a central platform.

Scientists believe that many of these houses were homes, but some served ceremonial purposes. One complex, in Kilamope, included a 140 by 40 meter platform.

They were built by cutting out hills and creating an earthen platform at the top.

A network of straight roads and paths connected many of the platforms, including one that stretched for 25 kilometers.

Complexity

Dr. Dorison said these routes were the most surprising part of the research.

“The road network is very advanced. It extends over a great distance, everything is connected. And there are right angles, which is very impressive,” he says, explaining that it is much more difficult to build a straight road than one that fits into the landscape.

He believes some of them had “very powerful meanings,” perhaps linked to a ceremony or belief.

Scientists also identified causeways with ditches on both sides, which they believe were canals that helped manage the region’s abundant water.

There were signs of threats to the towns: some ditches blocked the entrances to the settlements and may be evidence that there were threats from people in the area.

Researchers first found evidence of a city in the 1970s, but this is the first comprehensive study completed, after 25 years of research.

It reveals a large and complex society that appears to be even larger than the Mayan societies of Mexico and Central America.

“Imagine if they discovered another civilization like the Maya, but with completely different architecture, land use and ceramics,” says José Iriarte, professor of archeology at the University of Exeter, who was not involved in this research.

A “unique” find

Some finds are “unique” in South America, he explains, pointing out the octagonal and rectangular platforms arranged together.

The societies were clearly well organized and interconnected, he says, highlighting the long sunken roads between settlements.

Not much is known about the people who lived there and what their societies were like.

Pits and houses were found on the platforms, as well as pots, stones for grinding plants and burnt seeds.

The Kilamope and Upano people who lived there probably focused mainly on agriculture. People ate corn and sweet potatoes and probably drank ‘chicha’, a kind of sweet beer.

Professor Rostain says that early in his career the Scientists believed that no ancient groups had lived in the Amazon. and that perhaps it was not worth doing this research.

“But I’m very stubborn, so I did it anyway. Now I have to admit that I am very happy to have made such a great discovery,” he says.

The next step for researchers is to understand what lies within a contiguous area of ​​300 square kilometers that has yet to be studied. (JO)