Aquiry civilization estimated at 1.25–3 million people, reshaped Amazon forest. Civilization peaked between 100 and 300 AD with an estimated 1.25 to 3 million inhabitants Within an 85,000 km² core area, population density may have reached 13 to 33 people per square kilometer Previous estimates based on 200 known earthworks suggested only 60,000 people; revised estimates are in the millions

The Aquiry civilization may have peaked between 100–300 AD with 1.25 to 3 million people — far more than the 60,000 earlier estimates suggested! Population density in the 85,000 km² core could have reached 13–33 people per km². These weren't fortifications but ceremonial gathering centers. The Aquiry cultivated maize, sweet potatoes, chili peppers, and managed Brazil nut trees and edible palms — evidence of their management still shapes today's forests. What a find! 🌽🌳

Key Facts

  • Civilization peaked between 100 and 300 AD with an estimated 1.25 to 3 million inhabitants
  • Within an 85,000 km² core area, population density may have reached 13 to 33 people per square kilometer
  • Previous estimates based on 200 known earthworks suggested only 60,000 people; revised estimates are in the millions
  • Experts believe the earthworks were public, political, and ceremonial gathering centers rather than year-round residences or military fortifications
  • Population calculations use evidence from later mound villages and indigenous ceremonial centers as comparators
  • The Aquiry cultivated chili peppers, peanuts, sweet potatoes, squash, and maize, and grew Brazil nut trees and edible palm species
  • Modern distribution of Brazil nut trees and edible palms reflects centuries of human planting and management
  • They burned bamboo-rich areas to maintain fertile soils and managed water sources, agricultural plots, and forest gardens
  • Later communities built mound villages in parts of the same region, suggesting cultural transformation rather than complete abandonment

Source: NEWS | LiDAR Reveals up to 30,000 Ancient Structures in the Amazon Rainforest by Ancient Architects