Massive Ancient City Discovered In The Amazon
Archaeologists have uncovered a colossal ancient city in the Amazon rainforest, challenging previous beliefs about the region's history.
The Upano area in eastern Ecuador hides a network of interconnected cities, complete with roads, canals, and plazas, dating back 2,500 years—over a millennium older than any other known Amazonian society. This discovery, made possible by LiDAR technology, sheds light on the complex urban societies that once thrived in the dense rainforest.
The LiDAR survey, funded by Ecuador's National Institute for Cultural Heritage, revealed five large settlements and ten smaller ones across 300 square kilometres in the Upano Valley. Wide, straight roads connected the cities, forming an extensive network that challenges the perception of ancient Amazonian civilizations. Fernando Mejía, an archaeologist involved in the research, emphasises, "We're talking about urbanism."
The Upano Valley cities, estimated to house tens of thousands of people, showcase a dense system of pre-Hispanic urban centres. The discovery is a groundbreaking revelation, challenging Eurocentric views of civilization. "We have to change our idea about what is culture and civilization," insists Prof Stephen Rostain, director of investigation at the National Centre for Scientific Research in France.
The ancient societies, engaged in agriculture and likely numbering around 30,000 inhabitants, mysteriously vanished between 300 and 600 CE. The Upano people's disappearance remains a puzzle, as subsequent cultures, like the Huapula, later occupied the region.
With ongoing research to explore the adjoining 300 square kilometres, archaeologists anticipate further revelations about the ancient Amazonian megacity, emphasising the need to revise our understanding of the region's rich cultural history.
