Ancient Cities Uncovered in the Amazon by Lidar Technology

Story by Jade Harper •
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The Amazon rainforest, long believed to be almost uninhabited, was actually home to a thriving, ancient civilization. A new study published in the journal Nature Communications reveals the discovery of two ancient cities in the Bolivian Amazon, hidden for centuries under the dense canopy. The cities were part of a vast urban network that was abandoned 600 years ago, and their discovery was made possible by the use of modern remote sensing technology called lidar.



Lidar works by sending pulses of light out from a transmitter, often mounted to the skid of a helicopter, then recording how long it takes for those pulses to return to a sensor. This technology has helped archaeologists find a lost Mayan city along with other ancient sites, transforming how researchers approach unsurveyed land.

The lidar technology, which was used from a helicopter some 650 feet up, allowed scientists to digitally deforest the canopy and identify the ancient ruins of a vast urban settlement around Llanos de Mojos in the Bolivian Amazon. The cities were part of the Casarabe Culture, which thrived in the region from 500 to 1400 C.E.

The cities included urban centers, suburban settlements, and a system of water reservoirs and canals. The images revealed pyramids and platforms up to 70 feet high, with causeways and canals running for 600 miles. The discovery of these cities challenges the long-held belief that the Amazon was unsuitable for permanent settlements.

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