The Llanos de Moxos, in northern Bolivia, have revealed what until recently seemed unthinkable: the existence of an advanced civilization that flourished in the Amazonian jungle.
The study, published in Nature and spread by The Economisthas shown that Casarabe culture developed an infrastructure system that allowed them to prosper in an environment where floods could last up to six months a year.
For decades, scientists thought the region was too inhospitable to house complex settlements. However, archaeologist Umberto Lombardo, from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, has led an investigation that dismantles this theory.
Through lidar technology – a laser scan that can reveal hidden structures under vegetation – the researchers identified artificial mounds, roads and interconnected channels. These findings suggest that the Casarabe not only adapted to their surroundings, but also transformed it, applying ecological and agricultural knowledge that defies what was believed about the pre -Columbian Amazon.
Hidden cities in the jungle
The most surprising discovery is the existence of a monumental architecture in the heart of the jungle.
In an area of 4,500 square kilometers, archaeologists have identified hundreds of artificial mounds, some more than 20 meters high and 20 hectares of extension. These platforms were interconnected by net and channel networks, which reveals an advanced urban planning.
The most amazing thing is that this civilization did not use stone for its constructions. Instead, they used advanced land construction techniques, which allowed them to lift high settlements capable of resisting seasonal floods.
These hidden cities indicate that the Casarabe were not small scattered groups, but a structured and hierarchical society, with a high degree of social and political organization.
The enigma of his disappearance
If this civilization was so advanced, what happened to her?
Although there are still many unknowns, one of the most accepted hypotheses is that diseases brought by Europeans were their death sentence. Epidemics such as smallpox devastated indigenous communities even before direct contact with the colonizers, and the Casarabe could have been one of their victims.
However, archaeological evidence suggests that some settlements were abandoned before the arrival of Europeans. Radiocarbon analysis indicates that some cities were already uninhabited around 1400 AD, almost a century before the arrival of Columbus.
Other communities managed to survive up to 1550, and there is evidence that the cultivation of corn and other agricultural practices continued in the region, which suggests that they did not disappear immediately.
A legacy buried in time
Today, the moxos plains have completely changed. Much of the territory is occupied by farmers, and the indigenous people Sirionó, who inhabits the area, has no direct links with the Casarabe culture.
However, the remains of their civilization are still present. Mounds, channels and old roads can still be seen in the landscape, and local inhabitants continue to find ceramic fragments and archaeological remains in their fields.
This finding not only changes our vision of the history of the Amazon, but also raises a great question:
How many other forgotten civilizations are still hidden under the jungle?
Source: Nature / Infobae.
