Ancient road networks once connected large urban centers in the Amazonian Ecuador
In short: Archaeologists using LIDAR and fieldwork in the Upano Valley have discovered a vast network of pre-Hispanic urban centers. The research revealed a sophisticated landscape of plazas, monumental platforms, and straight roads that linked various settlements across the eastern foothills of the Andes.
By combining aerial laser scanning with ground excavations, researchers identified a complex system of agricultural terraces and drainage alongside a regional road network spanning tens of kilometers. This discovery suggests that the Upper Amazon supported large-scale, organized urbanism much earlier than previously thought, comparable to Maya systems. However, the study's scope is limited to the specific Upano Valley region.
Why it matters: The Amazon was home to complex, large-scale urban civilizations long before European contact.
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Sources
- Source: Research: Rostain et al. (2024). Two thousand years of garden urbanism in the Upper Amazon. Science. · other-oa
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