The domestication of Amazonia before European conquest

Area of Science:

• Amazonian archaeology
• Environmental history
• Anthropogenic landscapes

Background:

• Traditional views portray Amazonia as pristine before European contact.
• Mounting evidence suggests significant, long-term human impact on the region.
• This challenges the notion of sparse pre-Columbian populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence for a human-influenced Amazonia.
• To counter claims of low pre-Columbian population densities.
• To highlight the scale of human modification over millennia.

Main Methods:

• Review of archaeological and paleoecological evidence.
• Analysis of crop domestication data.
• Examination of Amazonian dark earths (ADEs) and earthworks.

Main Results:

• Amazonia was a major center for domesticating at least 83 plant species.
• Highly modified landscapes, including Amazonian dark earths, indicate large settled populations.
• Food production systems supported an estimated 8 million people by 1492.

Conclusions:

• Amazonia was a densely populated and socio-culturally diverse region prior to European conquest.
• Human activities, including plant and landscape domestication, profoundly impacted regional ecology.
• The concept of an 'anthropogenic Amazonia' is supported by extensive evidence.