The Amazon rainforest, long believed to be almost uninhabited, was actually home to a thriving, ancient civilization. A new study published in the journal Nature Communications reveals the discovery of two ancient cities in the Bolivian Amazon, hidden for centuries under the dense canopy. The cities were part of a vast urban network that was abandoned 600 years ago, and their discovery was made possible by the use of modern remote sensing technology called lidar.
Lidar works by sending pulses of light out from a transmitter, often mounted to the skid of a helicopter, then recording how long it takes for those pulses to return to a sensor. This technology has helped archaeologists find a lost Mayan city along with other ancient sites, transforming how researchers approach unsurveyed land.
The lidar technology, which was used from a helicopter some 650 feet up, allowed scientists to digitally deforest the canopy and identify the ancient ruins of a vast urban settlement around Llanos de Mojos in the Bolivian Amazon. The cities were part of the Casarabe Culture, which thrived in the region from 500 to 1400 C.E.
The cities included urban centers, suburban settlements, and a system of water reservoirs and canals. The images revealed pyramids and platforms up to 70 feet high, with causeways and canals running for 600 miles. The discovery of these cities challenges the long-held belief that the Amazon was unsuitable for permanent settlements.
“It is like an index fossil of what full-blown Amazonian urbanism might have looked like,” said Heckenberger. “They really nailed not what caused these urban societies to appear, not what caused them to collapse — but what they were like at their peak.”
The discovery of these cities began more than a century ago when archaeologists noted curious mounds as part of the topography. Excavations since then confirmed the area was once inhabited by the Casarabe, but only modern technology could find out more.
The stunning images revealed by the lidar technology have provided a glimpse into the past, showing a landscape that was heavily populated and quite urbanized for many centuries before recorded history of the region began. The discovery suggests that the Amazon’s rainforest “wilderness” was actually heavily modified.
The discovery of these cities adds a new chapter to the tale of exploration and discovery in the Amazon. For centuries, legends have circulated about lost cities deep within the forests. A search for El Dorado, a supposed city of gold, lured many Spanish explorers far off the map, and some of them never returned. As recently as the 20th century, British explorer Percy Fawcett searched for what he believed was the Lost City of Z. He vanished into the jungle and added his own unfinished chapter to a tale that began 600 years ago.
Now, the plot has taken a new twist, as scientists have discovered that ancient cities really did exist in the Amazon. And while urban ruins remain extremely difficult to find in thick, remote forests, lidar technology has helped change the game.
The discovery of these cities is a testament to the advanced civilizations that once existed in the Amazon. It also raises questions about what other secrets the Amazon may still hold. As one researcher put it, “I’m sure that in the next 10 or 20 years we’ll see a lot of these cities, and some even bigger than the ones we are presenting in our paper”. This discovery not only reshapes our understanding of the past, but also opens up new possibilities for future exploration and discovery in the Amazon.
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