Our rapé and various plant medicines come from the amazing Amazon Rainforest. How big is the Amazon Rainforest? Where is it located in South America? The Amazon straddles the line between the Southern and Northern hemisphere, aptly called the Equator, meaning "great circle". It encompasses the 11 countries of Brazil, Columbia, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Venezuela, Ecuador, Paraguay, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. The Amazon spans an estimated 1.656 billion acres. It's so huge it would take 860 days, almost 3 years to walk from one side to the other.
Nicknamed "the Worlds largest medicine cabinet", 80,000 of the unique plants in the amazon rainforest are crucial to 25% of modern Western medicine. Here, the amazon rainforest tribes live in harmony with nature. Surrounded by the stunning, untouched beauty of mighty rivers and majestic mountains, the amazon rainforest tribes have lived simply. They survive by harvesting and cultivating the rainforest's incredible biodiversity.
While safeguarding the planet's very lifeblood, these silent guardians have weathered countless storms. They've endured unimaginable hardships from conquests, natural disasters, pandemics, and attacks from animals in the amazon rainforest. Yet, for an estimated 10 millennia, they have stood unyielding. These silent guardians protect the world's most valuable resources: prized foods, vital minerals, precious textiles, and life-saving medicines.
The Amazon rainforest is more than just the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle's famous tome "The Lost World." It is a real-life realm of beauty and mystery. Since the 17th century, its hidden wonders have peeled back layer by layer. Despite digitally mapping nearly the entire Earth, scientists continue to find new discoveries in the Amazon. While Hollywood blockbusters like Indiana Jones and Lara Croft Tomb Raider may conjure visions of the Amazon, their fictional thrills only echo the incredible stories of real-life expeditions.
Famed explorer Percy Fawcett of the 20th century journeyed to this strange land after hearing whispers of an ancient lost city, which he called "the lost city of Z." It's still unsure what happened to Fawcett. The following 100 people who searched after his remains have all been found dead or lost to the dense jungle. Eventually, Westerners discovered Kuhikugu, the city he was after in 1925, in an area of uncontacted tribes of the amazon rainforest.
Treasure hunting is nothing like how it was in the 20th century. Now, with LIDAR technology, scientists are making new discoveries every year. They are virtually peeling back the rainforest's secrets to reveal hidden landscapes beneath the dense canopy. Evidence suggests a pre-Columbian Amazon teeming with up to 5 million inhabitants — a population rivaling modern-day Costa Rica.
3 NEW FINDINGS REWRITING THE NARRATIVE OF THE AMAZON RAINFOREST BEFORE SPANISH CONQUEST
Montegrande:
Rising near Jaén, Peru, this 5,000-year-old mound predates even some of the 7 wonders of the ancient world like the Great Pyramids of Giza. This colossal earthwork is called the "Huaca Montegrande." It towers over two acres and reaches five stories high. Even more fascinating, recent research suggests it is part of a broader network of ceremonial centers — expanding across the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon. It's currently being developed as an archaeological park where future archaeologists will make new discoveries in the years to come.
Llanos De Mojos:
In Bolivia's Beni Savannah, another Pre-Columbian marvel challenges paradigms. The Casarabe people were once thought to be hunter-gatherers. They were believed to be like modern indigenous tribes of the Amazon. However, an entire city has been discovered here in the Amazon rainforest. It has over 4700 forested mounds covering 50,000 square kilometers. Technological marvels like raised fields, causeways, and canals suggest a sophisticated society flourishing in this area of the world 10,000 years ago, even predating Egypts Old Kingdom. Continued excavation in this region may unveil even more unbelievable marvels, like the one you are about to read about next.
Ratanabá:
After 30 years of intense fieldwork, humanities greatest secret may have been discovered in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The fabled lost city of Rattanava was once shrouded in mystery. A controversial group of archaeologists with support from the Brazillian military have now discovered the city. The Dakila Research team, now backed by one of the best universities in the UAE Abu Dhabi University, they have identified gigantic constructions in various parts of the Amazon.
They claim to have discovered a vast urban complex in the uncharted rainforest of Northern Brazil. A city with streets which measure up to 90 meters wide and courts which measure approximately 292,500 square meters. For reference, that's about 1/5th the size of New York's Time Square.
They claim to have discovered underground galleries like those in the Egyptian pyramids. The galleries contain 100's of artifacts, such as highly sophisticated metal work, skeletons of giants, and several skulls. This has cast the entire project under speculation. Additionally, they claim the Forte Príncipe da Beira is actually a "Starfort", built by an ancient "Muril civilization".
These astonishing discoveries — Montegrande, Llanos de Mojos, and Ratanabá — whisper of societies far more advanced than previously imagined. As research continues, who knows what other marvels lie hidden beneath the emerald canopy? Each unearthed treasure paints a richer picture of the Amazon's past. It reminds us that this verdant wonderland holds not only ecological wealth but also the echoes of humanity's forgotten ingenuity. At Rajas Arcana, we believe these whispers of the past can guide us toward a future. We will learn from ancient wisdom and work in harmony with this awe-inspiring ecosystem.
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