A revolutionary survey using high-resolution LiDAR has mapped a network of interconnected 'garden cities' hidden beneath the dense canopy of the Western Amazon. These settlements, dating from 500 CE to 1400 CE, feature circular plazas, raised causeways, and complex irrigation canals that span hundreds of square kilometers. This suggests a population density far greater than previously thought possible for the region.
The research, led by the Amazonia Daily Science Team, indicates that these ancient societies practiced 'forest urbanism,' a sustainable method of living that integrated large-scale agriculture with the natural jungle environment. This discovery fundamentally alters the history of pre-Columbian South American civilizations.