For decades, it was believed that there were no organised groups that left a lasting impact on the Amazon before the arrival of Columbus in 1492. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even in this region, which is so inaccessible and difficult to live in, societies settled and left their mark. One of them left 20 000 artificial mounds.
The Llanos de Moxos: A unique ecosystem
The Llanos de Moxos isa plain and the largest savannah and wetland ecosystem in the Amazon. Three major rivers – the Beni, Mamoré and Iténez – form the Madeira River, the main tributary of the Amazon, which regularly floods the area. It is a difficult area to inhabit; yet the first humans can be traced back 10 000 years and they transformed the region. Between the 4th century BC and the 13th century AD, the Moxo hydraulic culture developed, characterised by the artificial mounds on which they lived.
Discovering the artificial mounds
The tropical rainforest grows quickly, reclaiming what has been taken from it and hiding even the last traces of human habitation. Innovative ideas are needed to unlock the secrets of the rainforest. This is exactly what the German archaeologist Heiko Prümers has done.
He installed a LiDAR system on a helicopter to scan an area of 200 square kilometres. Once he had all the data from the 3D scanner, he discovered a complex structure in the Beni department, southwest of the Amazon basin in Bolivia: the lomas or mounds.
It’s estimated that there are around 20 000 artificial mounds, each averaging 20 hectares in size. The mounds are connected by dams 15 to 30 kilometres long, with canals on the sides that would have been used to store water for the dry season. According to Prümers, the groups settled in areas that were safe from flooding, and over the centuries the mounds became higher and higher.
Chuchini: No pool but bones
Chuchini, which means “jaguar’s den” in the Trinidadian language, is located on one of these mounds. It’s 15 kilometres from Trinidad and it’s also a perfect example of their long history.
After a week, we wondered why there was a hole from an unfinished construction site in the middle of the lodge. “In 2021, we were going to build a swimming pool, we started digging and found the bones of a woman,” explained Augusto, a tour guide. The discovery made headlines, but due to a lack of resources, the bones were simply reburied and the hole filled in with earth. All that remains is the anecdote of a story yet to be told.
In Chuchini, hundreds of pre-Hispanic pieces found on the hill itself are kept. This miniature archaeological museum is a testament to the region’s cultural and historical wealth.
Revaluing Amazonian history
To walk on this land is to walk with certainty on the same land as many generations before us, and it’s the definitive proof that there were organised civilisations in the Amazon. For us, it was an opportunity to reflect on all the versions of history we learn in school and all the cultural riches that are lost, forgotten or ignored, whether for lack of time or interest.