"Lost Amazonian Cities: Uncovering Ancient Urban Centers"

Archaeologists have uncovered a cluster of lost cities in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador, home to at least 10,000 farmers around 2,000 years ago. The settlements, occupied by the Upano people, lasted about 1,000 years and featured residential and ceremonial buildings on over 6,000 earthen mounds, surrounded by agricultural fields and drainage canals. The discovery, revealed through recent mapping using laser-sensor technology, sheds light on the complex and organized society that existed in the Amazon long before European contact, challenging the perception of the region as a pristine wilderness.