Using high-resolution LiDAR technology, an international team of researchers has mapped a previously unknown urban sprawl in the upper Madeira River basin of the Amazon. The 'River-Port Megalopolis' consists of a series of concentric earthwork fortifications connected by elevated causeways to a sophisticated riverine logistics hub featuring stone wharves and deep-water mooring rings.
The discovery challenges the traditional view of the pre-Columbian Amazon as a sparsely populated wilderness. The city's design indicates a society capable of massive engineering projects to manage seasonal flooding while maintaining a dominant maritime trade network. Archaeologists believe this site served as a vital gateway between the Andean highlands and the lowland Amazonian river systems for the exchange of feathers, gold, and cacao.