Current Date: 01 Oct, 2025
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Archaeologists Uncover 2,000-Year-Old Amazonian Cities Using Lidar Technology

Deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, archaeologists have uncovered an ancient network of urban settlements once inhabited by the Upano people about 2,000 years ago. Using cutting-edge lidar technology, these discoveries reveal a highly organized society featuring sophisticated agricultural systems, drainage canals, and extensive road networks. This transformative find challenges long-held assumptions about ancient Amazonian societies and sheds light on a complex civilization thriving in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions.

For decades, the Amazon rainforest was thought to be an untouched wilderness, home mostly to small, nomadic groups rather than large complex societies. However, recent advances in lidar—Light Detection and Ranging—have revolutionized archaeology by penetrating dense forest canopies to reveal hidden structures beneath. In the Ecuadorian Amazon’s Upano Valley, lidar scanning uncovered thousands of man-made features revealing an extensive ancient urban landscape.

These cities span vast areas with multiple settlements connected by remarkably straight roads and canals, indicating deliberate planning and construction. The urban cluster was home to an estimated 10,000 to possibly over 100,000 inhabitants at its peak, thriving 2,000 years ago in what was thought to be inhospitable terrain.

The Upano People: Architects of an Ancient Urban Network

The ancient inhabitants, known as the Upano and Kilamope cultures, lived sedentary, agrarian lifestyles. Archaeological evidence shows they built octagonal and rectangular platforms for dwellings, ceremonial purposes, and public spaces. Hearth pits, grinding stones, pottery fragments, and remnants of “chicha” — a local maize-based fermented beverage — have been found on-site, attesting to daily life and rituals.

The society was deeply connected, with massive earthworks including a sophisticated system of terraces and canals for water management. These drainage ditches protected agricultural lands and settlements from flooding while ensuring fertile soil supported staple crops such as maize, manioc, and sweet potato. This suggests that the Upano people practiced intensive, sustainable agriculture on a large scale.

Lidar Technology: Illuminating the Past Through Laser Mapping

Lidar uses laser pulses to detect the ground surface beneath forest vegetation, creating detailed 3D models of landscapes. In the Upano Valley, lidar scans revealed over 7,500 manmade structures including buildings, roads stretching over 300 kilometers, and earth mounds—features invisible to the naked eye.

This technology allowed archaeologists to map the scale and density of Upano villages precisely, overturning old beliefs that the Amazon was sparsely populated with only small groups. The data also helped researchers understand the social organization, engineering skills, and the incredible extent of human impact on the rainforest environment.

Reshaping the Understanding of Amazonian Civilizations

The discovery of this urban network predating well-known ancient cities by centuries challenges the Eurocentric view of civilization and cultural complexity. Unlike the stone cities of the Maya or Inca, these Amazonian settlements were primarily earth-based and integrated into the natural landscape.

Experts emphasize that Amazonian people were far from “primitive” but built vibrant, resilient societies with planned infrastructure supporting large populations through complex agriculture and water management systems.

This breakthrough encourages respect for Indigenous histories and calls for preserving these remarkable archaeological treasures amid modern threats like deforestation.

Fascinating Trivia About the Upano Cities and Amazonian Discoveries

  • The road networks in the Upano Valley were often perfectly straight and connected settlements like a prehistoric highway system.
  • Some platforms and earthworks are octagonal—a unique architectural style rare in South America.
  • The nearby Sangay volcano’s eruptions may have contributed to both the fertility of the soil and the eventual abandonment of some cities.
  • Archaeologists estimate the urbanized region covered over 987 square kilometers (381 square miles), rivaling Maya city complexes in scale.
  • The Upano people’s legacy includes early fermented beverages like chicha, still culturally significant in the region today.
  • Lidar technology revealed sites previously unknown even to local communities, revolutionizing Amazon archaeology.
  • The discoveries underscore the Amazon rainforest as both a natural and cultural heritage site needing protection.
  • The Upano civilization flourished roughly between 500 BCE and 600 CE, contemporaneous with other ancient empires.

Rediscovering Civilization in the Amazon’s Heart

The uncovering of 2,000-year-old cities through lidar technology is a landmark moment in archaeology, transforming the narrative of the Amazon from a wild, untouched forest to a region of ancient human ingenuity and culture.

These findings celebrate the resilience and sophistication of the Upano people who built and thrived in this green landscape millennia ago. Recognizing their legacy enriches our appreciation for Indigenous histories and highlights the urgent need to preserve these archaeological and ecological treasures for future generations.

If this story of hidden cities and ancient cultures in the Amazon inspired awe and wonder, share it to spread the knowledge of this extraordinary chapter of human history.

Sources & Further Reading:

  • BBC News: Huge Ancient Lost City Found in the Amazon (2024)
  • Wikipedia: Upano Valley Sites
  • Smithsonian Magazine: Ancient Amazon Cities Discovered (2024)
  • Mongabay: Father Pedro Porras and Amazon Archaeology (2025)
  • Scientific American: Garden Urbanism in the Ancient Amazon (2024)
  • Journal Science: Urban Network in Ecuador’s Upano Valley (2024)
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