A high-resolution LiDAR survey conducted over the Upper Amazon Basin has revealed a sprawling network of ring-villages connected by raised causeways, dating back to approximately 500 CE. These settlements, characterized by concentric circular mounds, were integrated into a massive hydraulic management system that included kilometers of fortified fish-weirs and seasonal drainage canals, suggesting a highly organized and sedentary society capable of feeding tens of thousands.
The mapping data challenges the long-held view of the Amazon as a pristine wilderness by proving the existence of an engineered landscape designed for intensive aquaculture. The orientation of the central plazas in several of the largest villages suggests they were aligned with solstice-based solar cycles, facilitating the management of flooding and fishing seasons. This discovery significantly expands the known footprint of complex pre-Columbian urbanism in the tropical lowlands.