Remote sensing and ground-level excavation in the upper Amazon basin have uncovered a series of magnetite-aligned ritual pavements. These stone structures were purposefully oriented to track the zenith passage of specific constellations, serving as the focal point for ancient "Starlight-Mapping" festivals among the ancestors of the Ge-speaking peoples.
The discovery challenges previous assumptions about the complexity of astronomical knowledge in pre-colonial Amazonian societies. The pavements were used for communal dances that mirrored the movement of the stars, a tradition that researchers say provided the structural foundation for modern indigenous celestial celebrations observed today.