Accounts from the first European explorers paint a tantalizing picture of encounters with sprawling cities along the Amazon River. Gaspar de Carbajal’s chronicles, recounting his expedition with Spanish Captain Francisco de Orellana, offer glimpses into these enigmatic urban centers. Yet, when missionaries later sought to organize these lands, they found only tribal societies, a stark contrast to the grandeur described in the chronicles.
For centuries, it was believed that these encounters were exaggerated, dismissed as mere legend. After all, unlike other regions in the Americas, the Amazon lacked significant archaeological evidence and the agricultural infrastructure to support large populations.
However, whispers of truth have begun to emerge from the depths of the jungle. Recent discoveries suggest the existence of cities boasting populations of up to 50,000 inhabitants. Terra preta, a mysterious fertile soil, enabled the cultivation of vast farmland and the construction of intricate road networks, hinting at the possibility of thriving settlements concealed within the dense foliage.
LIDAR survey has revolutionised knowledge of the archaeology of the Llanos de Mojos area of south-west Amazonia. Here we see the LiDAR scanner being installed in the helicopter and a view of the sensor while survey is under way over tropical forest .
Yet, these civilizations met a tragic fate with the arrival of Europeans, succumbing to diseases like influenza and smallpox within the first century of contact.
Thanks to groundbreaking LIDAR technology , archaeologists have unveiled glimpses of these lost cities beneath the jungle canopy, particularly in the southeast sector of Brazil’s Acre state. The scans reveal ancient towns interconnected by main and secondary roads, each with its own unique social organization.
As the secrets of these ancient civilizations gradually come to light, the Amazon’s past continues to beckon, inviting us to unravel its mysteries and rewrite the narrative of human history.
The enigma of civilization’s emergence in the Amazon persists, shrouded in mystery.
