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The Lost Cities of the Amazon Rain Forest.
It covers nine countries, is home to the largest collection of plants and animals in the world and is traversed by one of the world's mightiest rivers.
But the Amazon may have been home to millions long before Europeans arrived
It covers nine countries, is home to the largest collection of plants and animals in the world and is traversed by one of the world's mightiest rivers.
But the Amazon may have been home to millions long before Europeans arrived
The true size of the rain forest is difficult to imagine. You could walk for thousands of miles and still be under the canopy. It is a huge part of the world that is difficult to explore even to this day.
The first European expeditions began exploring in 1541.
The first European expeditions began exploring in 1541.
The explorers were amazed to find cities, roads and fertile fields on the banks of the river.
Francisco De Orellana reported:
“There was one town that stretched for 15 miles without any space from house to house, which was a marvellous thing to behold.”
Francisco De Orellana reported:
“There was one town that stretched for 15 miles without any space from house to house, which was a marvellous thing to behold.”
Hundreds of years later when other European explorers returned the cities reported could not be found. There were just small villages of hostile indigenous people and the stories were dismissed as fantasies.
Despite 20th century scholars deciding that the Amazon was to hostile to permit large human settlements, explorers continued searching for El Dorado and other mythical cities. But nothing was ever found.
Recently as more of the beautiful rain forest has been cut down and turned in to soya bean farms evidence is being uncovered of cities larger than London at the time all over the Amazon.
So what made them disappear after they were first reported?
So what made them disappear after they were first reported?
Europeans brought diseases such as smallpox with them. As we are well aware today a pandemic can quickly spread across a cities and through a population. The indigenous population had no immunity and no way to treat the diseases. Millions may have died as a result.
Deforestation and remote sensing has revealed extensive earthworks, including cities, causeways, canals, graveyards and huge areas of ridged fields that kept crops like manioc, maize and squash clear of floods.
Tragically a massive civilisation may have been decimated by disease, abandoned and swallowed up by the rain forest because of a very small group of explorers.
There was no evidence to give any credibility to their claims and they were believed to be liars, until recently.
There was no evidence to give any credibility to their claims and they were believed to be liars, until recently.
