2,500-Year-Old Lost Cities Revealed by Laser

Airborne LiDAR mapping and CNRS excavations in the Upano Valley reveal the oldest and densest pre-Hispanic urban garden network in the Amazon rainforest. Swipe to see →

THE HISTORICAL ENIGMA

Throughout the greater part of the twentieth century, South American archaeology was dominated by the theory of "environmental determinism," most prominently championed by American researcher Betty Meggers of the Smithsonian Institution.

LIDAR TECHNOLOGY

The transformative methodological breakthrough arrived when an international scientific consortium deployed specialized aircraft equipped with airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors.

ANATOMY OF THE METROPOLIS

The monumental architecture of the Upano Valley is fundamentally grounded in the masterful manipulation of rammed volcanic earth and clay.

GARDEN URBANISM AND THE FERTILE INFLUENCE

The spatial configuration of the Upano Valley challenges Western conceptions of dense, walled fortress cities, embodying what archaeologists categorize.

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION, TRADE

The sheer magnitude of earthmoving required to construct the Upano Valley complex implies a sophisticated and stratified social organization.

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