Archeologists have turned back the pages of history by uncovering a 250-year-old Portuguese colonial city nestled within Brazil’s Amazon rainforest.
Led by Eduardo Neves from the University of São Paulo, this discovery forms a vital part of the Amazônia Revelada project, aiming to explore ancient cities in the region.
Located in Brazil’s Rondônia state, this city once appeared on maps but seemed to vanish into the jungle for hundreds of years.
It was, in fact, the forest’s lush vegetation that cloaked the city from view, effectively erasing it from human memory — until now.
A collaboration between researchers and Indigenous peoples played a crucial role in this discovery, aiding in the mapping and understanding of this historic site.
Cutting-edge Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology played a pivotal role, enabling the team to survey the site without disturbing the aged structures.
“It was abandoned, the forest took over, and the stone blocks were removed,” Neves explains, describing the process of mapping the once-forgotten city’s street layout — a truly fascinating discovery.
This colonial city provides a window into the more recent, albeit darker, chapters of Brazil’s history — when Portuguese settlers colonized the region, intertwining it with the transatlantic slave trade and altering the course of Indigenous lives.
The Amazônia Revelada project, while unearthing sites like this colonial city, seeks more than historical curiosity.
There is a pressing goal to protect these newfound treasures as national heritage monuments, providing them with the safeguard they need against modern exploitation and destruction.
Professor Stephen Rostain eloquently summed up the city’s importance, stating, “This shows we have to change our idea about what is culture and civilization.”
The city stands as a testament to an urban society predating European cultural influence, showcasing the sophisticated civilizations that flourished in the Amazon before modern history took its toll.
In conjunction with state-of-the-art technology, the project also leverages the traditional knowledge of local Indigenous communities to uncover other significant archeological sites scattered across the Amazon.
This venture opens a fresh chapter in understanding Amazonian cultures, dispelling stereotypes that these ancient people lived in rudimentary conditions.
The rediscovery of this city, and the continued work of the Amazônia Revelada project, reinforces the significance of the Amazon as more than just a storehouse of biodiversity.
It is a rich tapestry of human history waiting to be revealed through the combined forces of technology and indigenous wisdom.