Archaeological remains of agrarian-based, low-density urbananism^1–3have been reported to exist beneath the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka and Central America^4–6. However, beyond some large interconnected settlements in southern Amazonia^7–9, there has been no such evidence for pre-Hispanic Amazonia. Here we present lidar data of sites belonging to the Casarabe culture (aroundad 500 toad 1400)^10–13in the Llanos de Mojos savannah–forest mosaic, southwest Amazonia, revealing the presence of two remarkably large sites (147 ha and 315 ha) in a dense four-tiered settlement system. The Casarabe culture area, as far as known today, spans approximately 4,500 km², with one of the large settlement sites controlling an area of approximately 500 km². The civic-ceremonial architecture of these large settlement sites includes stepped platforms, on top of which lie U-shaped structures, rectangular platform mounds and conical pyramids (which are up to 22 m tall). The large settlement sites are surrounded by ranked concentric polygonal banks and represent central nodes that are connected to lower-ranked sites by straight, raised causeways that stretch over several kilometres. Massive water-management infrastructure, composed of canals and reservoirs, complete the settlement system in an anthropogenically modified landscape. Our results indicate that the Casarabe-culture settlement pattern represents a type of tropical low-density urbanism that has not previously been described in Amazonia.

Archaeology tells us how Indigenous peoples transformed nature in the Amazon over the millennia to the point that it is difficult to separate natural from cultural patrimony there today. It also shows that any kind of sustainable future for the region has to consider the rich Indigenous heritage manifested in archaeological sites and contemporary landscapes, and the contemporary knowledge of traditional societies.

Over the past decade, multidisciplinary research has seen the Amazon Basin go from a context perceived as unfavourable for food production and large-scale human societies to one of ‘garden cities’, domestication, and anthropogenically influenced forests and soils. Nevertheless, direct insights into human interactions with particular crops and especially animals remain scarce across this vast area. Here we present new stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data from 86 human and 68 animal remains dating between ce ~700 and 1400 from the Llanos de Mojos, Bolivia. We show evidence of human reliance on maize agriculture in the earliest phases before a reduction in the dietary importance of this crop between ce 1100 and 1400. We also provide evidence that muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata), the only known domesticated vertebrate in the South American lowlands, had substantial maize intake suggesting intentional feeding, or even their domestication, from as early as ce 800. Our data provide insights into human interactions with Amazonian ecosystems, including direct evidence for human management of animals in pre-colonial contexts, further enriching our understanding of human history in what was once considered a ‘counterfeit paradise’.

This article presents the results of interdisciplinary and collaborative research conducted around Lakes Rogaguado and Ginebra, located in the north-central sector of the Llanos de Moxos, Bolivia—an area with limited archaeological exploration but prominent in ethnohistoric accounts related to the legendary “Gran Paititi.” Through systematic surveys, excavations, analyses of ceramics, zooarchaeological and paleoethnobotanical remains, and LiDAR mapping—carried out in dialogue with Cayubaba and Movima Indigenous communities—we identified monumental earthen architecture, raised agricultural fields, complex hydraulic systems, and a remarkable diversity in the use of local fauna and flora. The data reveal at least three main phases of pre-Hispanic occupation, each with distinct spatial and chronological patterns. At the Paquío site near Lake Rogaguado, two of these phases were documented: an early occupation around AD 600, possibly contemporaneous with the San Juan site, and a later, more intensive occupation between AD 1000 and 1200. This later phase is characterized by a higher density of ceramics, faunal and botanical remains, maize-based agriculture, and an elaborate hydraulic network associated with raised fields. In contrast, at the Jasschaja site, only the third phase of occupation was identified, dated to AD 1300–1400. Located near the El Cerro site on the eastern shore of Lake Ginebra, this phase shows broader landscape modifications, a greater diversity of plant use, and reduced faunal representation, suggesting an economy increasingly focused on the intensive management of cultivated and wild plant species. These differences reflect not only specific ecological adaptations but also broader transformations in social organization, settlement dynamics, and landscape management over time. By integrating archaeological, historical, and ethnographic evidence, this study repositions this region as a key node within the political, economic, and symbolic networks of the southwestern Amazon, shaped by continuous processes of mobility and landscape modification. This research underscores the importance of interdisciplinary, multiscalar, and community-engaged approaches for reconstructing socio-environmental dynamics of the Late Holocene in the Neotropics. It also offers new insights for the recognition of biocultural heritage and the pursuit of territorial justice in rapidly changing contexts.

Among the significant advances made in recent decades by indigenous peoples in the struggle for recognition of their rights, territories and histories, access to ancient collections of their material culture, stored in museums in distant lands, has been one of the most emblematic achievements. Overcoming linguistic, cultural, financial and bureaucratic challenges, entourages of countless peoples have traveled great distances to revisit and recover materials from their history and connect, in various ways, with those who once produced them. Here we present some results of one of these efforts, by a mixed delegation made up of Waiwai and non-indigenous researchers, in two ethnographic museums in Germany (Museum für Völkerkunde/Dresden and Bonner Amerikas-Sammlung/Bonn) and one in Sweden (Världskulturmuseet). In addition to recognizing elements of Waiwai material culture and formulating reflections on the new roles these artifacts play in their distant territories, the experience allowed for the development of various discussions on museum practices, as well as curatorial, conservation and descriptive aspects. The placements and interventions carried out in these deposits, which brought physical and spiritual benefits to things and people, in turn point to paths to be taken to achieve greater indigenization of collections in ethnographic museums.