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Native Americans in the Amazonian Basin are a very complicated topic which in recent years have become a matter of intence, sometimes acrimonious scholarly debate. It has been common to think of the Amazonian Native Americans as primitive people lost in time and providing a window to the stone age. Anthropolgists visting these people provided portraits suggesting this view hat the Amazonin basin in contrast to much of the Americas was was a cultural black hole. And respected anthropolgists proposed a theory explaining why this has occurred--the inherent ecological limitations of the tropical rain forest. They concluded that the enviromnt was too hostile and the soil too poor to have sustained a large advanced civilization. Rather only small hunter gatherer populations were believe possible in he Amazon. This was the widely accepted view of the Amazon for many years. And his was confirmed by the primitive people found living here and the apparently virgin jungle. There is now considerable scholarly reassessment of this view. Continuing archeological finds as well as new methods have provided a great deal of evidence suggesting that the pre-Colombian population was much larger and more sophisticated than earlier believed. Some anthropologists believe that the population may have been as large as 20 million people. That is larger than the modern population and double the population of the Inca Empire, the most populace of the pre-Colombian Amer-Indian civiizations, but perhaps comparavble the popukation of North America as a whole. These numbers may not sound large in terms of modern denomgraphics, but the overall human population was only a fraction of modern populations. And a new gneration of anthropoligists report finding a huge humanm 'foot print' throughout the Amazon. They are not referring to the impressive stone pyramids and other structures that impress the eaelier generations of archeologists. What they report finding is evidence of sophisticated agriculture and impressive efforts to reshape, even conquer the jungle. [Forero]
It has been common to think of the Amazonian Native Americans as a primitive people lost in time and providing a window to the stone age. Anthropolgists visting these recludive people provided portraits suggesting this view that the Amazonin basin in contrast to much of the Americas was was a cultural black hole. And respected anthropolgists proposed a theory explaining why this was the case -- the inherent ecological limitations of the tropical rain forest. They concluded that the environment was too hostile and the soil too poor to have sustained a large advanced civilization. This was understndable based on mofern agricvultural methods. Because of the tropical condsiction, there was no deep layer of top soil. Rather only small hunter gatherer populations were believe able to sustain sudtnce in the Amazon. Supplenented by primitive agriciltural tehbiques. This was the widely accepted view of the Amazon for many years. And there certinly was no monumental archetecture. And it was further confirmed by the primitive people found living here and the apparently virgin jungle. Spanish accounts from the 16th century desctibing a floruhing, advanced people were dismissed as mere fatrasy. Francisco de Orellana completed the first known navigation of the entire length of the Amazon River and reported large, highly producvtive villages engaged in intensdive agriculture (1542).
There is now considerable scholarly reassessment of this view. Continuing archeological finds as well as new methods have provided a great deal of evidence suggesting that the pre-Colombian population was much larger and more sophisticated than earlier believed. The first researcher launching this investigation was Anna C. Rooseveklt working on Marajo Island at the nouth of the Amazon (1980s). Many researchers have since pursued search fir evidence if advanced civilizations in the Amazon. Some anthropologists believe that the population may have been as large as 20 million people. That is larger than the modern population and double the population of the Inca Empire, the most populace of the pre-Colombin Amer-Indian civiizations, but perhaps comparaable the popukation of North America as a whole. These numbers my not sound large in terms of modern denomgraphics, but the overall human population was only a fraction of modern populations. And a new gneration of anthropoligists report finding a huge humanm 'foot print' throughout the Amazon. They are not referring to the impressive stone pyramids and other structures that impress the eaelier generations of archeologists. What they report finding is evidence of sophisticated agriculture and impressive efforts to reshape, even conquer the jungle. [Forero]
While support for the new view of Amazonian civilizations is growing, there continues to be support for the long-held traditional views. And they include some inflkuential experts. One of the most important is Betty J. Meggars, Director of Latin American Archaeologyat the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. She believes that the new theiries are miore based on imaguinative thinking than science. There is a common pattern among many in the acdemic community to downgrade the Western chievenenbts and up grade non-Western civiizations. Whethger this is what us at oplsy vhere is difficult to say. She writes, "I'm sorry to say that archaeologists like to produce sensational refutation of previous theories. You know that is how you bget promotion. " Meggars respected riting contended that that the Amazon is unfit for large-scale human habitation. [Meggars]
Forero, Juan. "In Amazon, traces of an advanced civilization," Washington Post (Septemnber 6, 2010).
Meggars, Betty J. Amazonia: Man and Cultuyre in a Counerfeit Paradise (1971).
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