With more than 60 archaeological sites identified, the Amazonia Revealed: Mapping Cultural Legacies project is helping to retrace the history of the Brazilian portion of the biome by combining archaeological research with the traditional knowledge of the forest’s peoples.
The project recovers archaeological records of populations that have occupied the Brazilian Amazon for more than 12,000 years. With this, it adds a new layer of protection for the biome, since archaeological sites are considered cultural assets that must be protected by the public authorities in Brazil, under the guardianship of IPHAN (National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute).
Two complementary strategies are in place to identify archaeological sites: overflights that record three-dimensional models of the earth’s surface using LiDAR technology (Light Detection and Ranging); and surveys carried out by local researchers, belonging to the indigenous and traditional peoples of the region.
“When they made their settlements, these peoples of ancient Amazonia left a kind of human fingerprint that is present in the forest, on the land and even in the water,” explains Carlos Augusto da Silva, an indigenous archaeologist from the Federal University of Amazonas (UFA) in Manaus, who has been one of the Amazônia Revelada researchers since its conception.
Known as Dr. Tijolo, the researcher says that in addition to ceramic fragments, evidence has been found that these peoples already practiced a primitive form of bioeconomy and circular economy, based on seed exchange and sustainable forest management.
“Plant species such as Brazil nut, precious, açaí, cocoa, pupunha and bacaba seem to have been planted and managed by these populations. We also found black earth soils [rich in organic and fertile material], which indicate long-standing human occupation and intentional management of the environment,” he says.
The recent excavations took place in the municipality of Altamira (PA), on the banks of the Riozinho and Iriri rivers, tributaries of the Xingu, where four monumental archaeological sites were identified.
The project also has an educational component, with activities in the archaeology laboratory at UFA and in primary and secondary schools. “I see this knowledge as a kind of seed, like the chestnut, which carries this wisdom with health,” adds Tijolo.