A Vast Network of Abandoned 13th Century Villages Laid Out Like Suns Rays Discovered in Brazilian Amazon Rainforest

Archeologists were surprised when they uncovered a vast network of abandoned villages in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest with the help of lasers. The discovery occurred in 2020 and these villages were dated back from 1300 to 1700, Live Science reported.

Researchers noted many peculiarities in the found settlements. The most prominent one is that they were laid out in the pattern of a cosmos. Findings regarding the villages were published in the Journal of Computer Applications in Archaeology.

Experts from South America and the United Kingdom collaborated to analyze the Rainforest and were aerially surveying the place through helicopter-mounted LiDAR when they stumbled upon the villages, Smithsonian Magazine reported. After examination, researchers found that there were 25 villages in total at the site. There were both circular and rectangular villages in this collection. Eleven had a definite rectangular shape while 15 were so run-down that it was difficult to determine its layout. 

The manner in which they were placed, the villages were resembling a clock face or sun rays. Furthermore, there was a central plaza in this whole establishment that was surrounded by mounds. All in all, it appeared as if the abandoned villages were situated purposefully, to look like the indigenous communities' conception of the cosmos (universe). 

The villages were constructed and arranged in such a way that there was no reflection of hierarchy. All of them appeared to be on the same footing in terms of hierarchy. Authors hope that through these villages they are able to find out about the group and their culture that inhabited this settlement during the 13th century. 

Archeologists uncovered three to 32 mounds from under 10 feet to more than 65 feet in every village. They are still trying to understand the function of these mounds, but believe they could have been used as houses or burial places by inhabitants. 

LiDAR imagery revealed the trajectory of roads that went through these settlements, which over the years have sunken. Researchers unveiled that there were four major roads, two extended to the north while the other two extended to the south. The roads connected these villages to each other and could have been used by people of that time to travel from one place to another in the settlement. 

Researchers cited the importance of LiDar technology in being able to analyze this settlement. "LiDAR has allowed us to detect these villages, and their features such as roads, which wasn’t possible before because most are not visible within the best satellite data available," said lead author José Iriarte, an archaeologist at the University of Exeter. "The technology helps to show the diverse and complex construction history of this part of the Amazon.”

The finding upended the assumption held by various archeologists that the Brazilian Rainforest was only sparsely populated before European colonization. The villages reflect that a huge group lived at the place during the 13th century much before Europeans set foot in the place.