For years, many believed that the Amazon was inhabitable (Roosevelt, 1991). However recent evidence has unearthed the existence of an advanced civilization located there. The population of this civilization is estimated to be around 20 million. In the 1980s, Anna Roosevelt first led excavations on the Marajo Island at the mouth of the Amazon. She found foundations, pottery, and complex agriculture (Roosevelt, 1980).
The Marajoara, people living on the Marajo island in the delta of the Amazon river, were identified in the late 19th century. The Marajora culture remains relatively unknown, though it covered nearly 20,000 square kilometers of land. These were urban settlements. Importantly, the existed before the arrival of Europeans in the 15th century (Heckenberger et al., 2003). These prehistoric civilizations were so advanced, they had formal roads facing northeast to southeast, in line with the mid-year summer solstice which was connected to a central plaza. These facts tell researchers that city planning and political organization must have existed within these urban societies. They appear to have been self-organized, similar to the structure of settlements in other forest regions that were based around agriculture, forest management, and fish farming (Heckenberger, 2009). According to researchers these societies had complex systems of trade and a densely settled landscape. Still, it is important to note that in the Amazon forests, indigenous peoples were eventually driven out by the Europeans. This new research may shed light on more recent cultural history of the region.
Heckenberger, M. J., Kuikuro, A., Kuikuro, U., Russell, J., Schmidt, M., Fausto, C., & Franchetto, B. (2003). Amazonia 1492: Pristine Forest or Cultural Parkland?. Science, 301(5640), 1710-1714.
Heckenberger, M. J. (2009). Lost Cities of the Amazon. Scientific American, 301(4), 64.
Roosevelt, A. (1991). Moundbuilders of the Amazon. Acad
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