A Secret Hidden Under the Jungle
For thousands of years, the rainforest in eastern Ecuador quietly covered the remains of something no one expected. In 2024, archaeologists revealed that the Upano Valley was once home to a massive network of ancient cities. These settlements were carefully planned, deeply connected, and built more than 2,000 years ago. What looked like untouched jungle turned out to be a carefully shaped human landscape.
Where the Upano Valley Is
The Upano Valley sits in eastern Ecuador, near the foothills of the Andes and within the Amazon Basin. The region is hot, wet, and densely forested, which made it incredibly difficult for archaeologists to see what lay beneath the trees. For decades, researchers suspected ancient activity here, but the full scale of it remained hidden.
Early Clues That Didn’t Add Up
As far back as the 1970s, missionaries and researchers noticed strange earthen mounds scattered across the valley. At the time, they were thought to be isolated features or small villages. Without a way to see the entire landscape at once, no one realized these mounds were connected parts of something much larger.
DIOHER_PAVAL, Wikimedia Commons
Technology Changes Everything
The breakthrough came from the sky. In 2015, Ecuador’s government funded a LIDAR survey of the region. LIDAR uses laser pulses fired from aircraft to map the ground beneath thick vegetation. When the data was finally analyzed in detail, it revealed a hidden world beneath the forest canopy.
Thousands of Structures Revealed
The LIDAR scans showed roughly 6,000 rectangular platforms spread across the Upano Valley. These platforms were not random. They were arranged in groups and connected by straight roads, forming a clear pattern of urban planning. What archaeologists were looking at was not wilderness, but a large human-designed landscape.
A Network, Not a Village
Instead of one city, researchers identified at least 15 major settlements across an area of about 300 square kilometers. These settlements were linked together, suggesting cooperation and shared planning rather than isolated communities. It was a true network of cities.
Meet the Archaeologist Behind the Discovery
French archaeologist Stéphen Rostain, a researcher with France’s National Centre for Scientific Research, has worked in the region since the 1990s. Even after decades of fieldwork, he was stunned by the scale of what the LIDAR revealed. He later described the area as a “lost valley of cities.”
Older Than Anyone Expected
Dating evidence suggests the earliest settlements in the Upano Valley began around 500 BCE. That makes them some of the oldest known urban sites in the Amazon. These communities continued to exist and evolve for centuries, remaining active until around 300 to 600 CE.
Kilamope, the Largest City
One settlement, known as Kilamope, stands out for its size. Archaeologists say it covers an area comparable to the Giza Plateau in Egypt. That comparison alone gives a sense of how ambitious and organized these ancient builders were.
Robster1983 at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
Platforms Built With Purpose
Many of the platforms measure about 20 by 10 meters and rise several meters above the surrounding land. Archaeologists believe they supported homes, public buildings, and ceremonial spaces. These were not temporary structures, but long-term foundations meant to last.
Roads Through the Forest
Straight, wide roads connected the settlements. Some stretch for kilometers across the valley. Their precision suggests careful planning and organized labor. These roads made travel, communication, and trade possible between communities.
Communities Designed to Gather
Platforms were often arranged around central plazas. This layout points to shared public life, where people gathered for meetings, ceremonies, or daily interaction. These were social spaces, not just places to live.
Farming at a Large Scale
The cities were surrounded by agricultural areas that included terraces and fields. Crops like maize, manioc, and sweet potatoes were grown to support large populations. This shows the people of the Upano Valley were skilled farmers who understood their environment well.
Managing Water in the Rainforest
Drainage canals and ditches helped manage heavy rainfall and prevent flooding. This kind of water control was essential in a rainforest environment and shows a high level of environmental knowledge and planning.
Dallas Krentzel, Wikimedia Commons
The Role of the Volcano
The nearby Sangay volcano likely played a role in the valley’s fertility. Volcanic ash enriched the soil, making it ideal for farming. Even today, people in the region note how productive the land can be.
Albert Backer, Wikimedia Commons
Who Lived in the Valley
Archaeologists associate the sites with ancient cultures now known as the Upano and Kilamope traditions. These were settled communities with deep ties to the land, not small or short-lived groups.
How Many People Lived Here
Exact population numbers are difficult to determine, but researchers estimate that between 10,000 and 30,000 people may have lived across the network at its peak. For the ancient Amazon, that number is remarkable.
Challenging Old Ideas
For a long time, many scholars believed the Amazon could not support large, permanent populations. The Upano Valley discoveries directly challenge that assumption and show that complex societies thrived here.
A Shift in Amazonian History
Archaeologist Michael Heckenberger from the University of Florida described the discovery as being “in a class of its own.” He emphasized that it shows long-term, organized urban life in a region once thought unsuitable for it.
Kate Haskell from Gainesville, USA, Wikimedia Commons
Not an Untouched Jungle
What appears today as wild rainforest was once a carefully managed landscape. People shaped the land, built cities, farmed crops, and maintained roads over generations.
Dallas Krentzel, Wikimedia Commons
Years of Waiting for the Full Picture
Although the LIDAR survey was completed in 2015, it took years to process and analyze the data. The findings were published in early 2024, finally revealing the full scale of the ancient cities.
Signs of Ceremony and Leadership
Some platforms are larger and more complex than others. Archaeologists believe these may have served ceremonial or administrative roles, hinting at leadership structures within the communities.
Roads That Connected More Than Places
The road network connected not just settlements, but people and ideas. It suggests a shared culture that valued cooperation and long-distance connection.
Alexander Gerst, Wikimedia Commons
Still Mostly Underground
Despite everything uncovered so far, much of the Upano Valley remains unexplored. Large areas have yet to be excavated, and archaeologists believe many more discoveries are still buried.
Antonio Campoy, Wikimedia Commons
A Civilization Reconsidered
The garden cities of the Upano Valley show that ancient Amazonian societies were skilled engineers, farmers, and planners. They built lasting communities in an environment once thought too difficult for large-scale settlement.
The Story Continues
Each new survey and excavation adds another piece to the puzzle. What was once invisible is now changing how we understand the ancient Amazon, and the rainforest has not finished telling its story yet.
Ivan Mlinaric, Wikimedia Commons
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