Using advanced LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology, scientists have mapped a previously unknown complex of geometric earthworks in the Brazilian state of Acre. These formations, which include perfectly circular and square enclosures, are precisely aligned with the sunrise on the winter solstice. Caches of ceremonial pottery found at the center of the circles suggest they were the sites of intense communal activity.
Archaeologists propose that these earthworks served as regional gathering points for ancient Amazonian societies to celebrate celestial transitions. The scale of the structures implies that thousands of people may have traveled from distant river basins to participate in these astronomical festivals, challenging previous notions about the population density and social organization of the pre-Columbian Amazon.