Lost Valley of Cities Revealed by Lidar
A groundbreaking study using lidar to uncover a lost valley of cities in Ecuador’s Upano Valley has revealed a civilization that rivals the complexity of Mayan settlements.
Deep in Ecuador’s Upano Valley, archaeologists used airborne lidar technology to model the earth under the dense rainforest canopy, uncovering a vast network of settlements that thrived 2,500 years ago. This area was a highly organized agrarian society that enhances our understanding of human history in the rainforest.
The lidar scans exposed over 6,000 earthen platforms, many serving as ceremonial buildings or homes, arranged around central plazas. Most interesting to me was the advanced infrastructure connecting these communities. A sophisticated web of straight, wide roads, with some stretching over 15 miles, linked the settlements together, suggesting a level of regional interaction and engineering skill previously thought impossible in this environment. The intricate system also included drainage canals and agricultural terraces, where city life and farming were seamlessly integrated.
Lead researcher Stéphen Rostain describes the find as incredible, noting that the population could have reached 10,000 to 30,000 people, which is comparable to Roman-era London. This bustling civilization, built by the Upano people, flourished for over a thousand years before vanishing. Thanks to the non-invasive power of lidar, we can finally see this ancient metropolis without cutting down a single tree.
Written by Adam Clark. Adam has spent the past 13 years exploring the world from above by using drones, satellites, and mapping tools to better understand our landscapes. Connect with him on LinkedIn: Adam Clark
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