LIDAR reveals 2,500-year-old urban network in Ecuador's Upano Valley
A dense network of 2,500-year-old settlements has been discovered in Ecuador's Upano Valley using LIDAR laser technology. The research, published in Science, reveals a geometric urban structure spanning 300 square kilometers, including 6,000 platforms, 5 large settlements, and 10 smaller ones, connected by an extensive road system. The site dates to around 500 BCE, with occupation between 300 and 600 CE, contemporaneous with the Roman Empire. Archaeologist Stéphen Rostain of CNRS described it as a "lost valley." The discovery highlights the unrecognized diversity of ancient Amazonian cultures.
Key facts
- Discovery made using LIDAR technology by Ecuador's National Institute for Cultural Heritage
- Settlements date back 2,500 years, occupied between 500 BCE and 300–600 CE
- Network includes 6,000 platforms, 5 large and 10 smaller settlements
- Area covers 300 square kilometers in the Upano Valley
- Features include terraced gardens, road networks, drainage systems, houses, and sacred buildings
- Road system extends for tens of kilometers connecting urban centers
- Comparable to Maya sites in Mexico and Guatemala
- Research published in Science journal
Entities
Artists
- Stéphen Rostain
Institutions
- CNRS
- National Institute for Cultural Heritage of Ecuador
- Science
Locations
- Upano Valley
- Ecuador
- Amazon rainforest
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Peru
- Venezuela
- Bolivia
- Guyana
- Suriname
- Mexico
- Guatemala