Archaeologists Uncover 2,500-Year-Old Network of Ancient Cities in the Amazon

Archaeologists have discovered a vast network of ancient cities in the Amazon rainforest, dating back 2,500 years, which were home to tens of thousands of people.
The settlements, found in the Upano Valley of Ecuador, consisted of more than 6,000 earthen mounds, believed to be the bases for homes and ceremonial buildings.
The cities were connected by a complex network of roads and canals, indicating a high level of urban planning and societal organization.
The Upano civilization, which inhabited these cities, is believed to have existed from around 500 B.C. to between 300 and 600 A.D., predating well-known civilizations like the Incas and Aztecs.
The discovery challenges previous assumptions about the Amazon being a pristine wilderness inhabited only by small groups of people, and suggests the existence of complex, urban populations in the region.