Laser mapping reveals hundreds of Amazon geoglyphs built by the Aquiry civilization

Airborne lidar surveying about 4,500 square kilometers in Brazil’s Acre state uncovered 396 new geoglyphs, shedding light on the Aquiry civilization that built monumental earthworks, longhouses, and ceremonial centers and farmed crops like maize and squash. The findings suggest a large, interconnected society that may have peaked at 1.25–3 million people between AD 100 and 300, with thousands of geoglyphs yet to be found and a probable collapse around AD 850–950.