1In 1998, Ecuador and Peru put an end to their border dispute and opened access to a territory in the Upper Amazon over which they had been fighting for years. Archaeologists worked there for the first time from 2000 to 2007, revealing some 400 archaeological sites, evidence of an unknown civilisation. They called it Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañón, after the three rivers which mark the boundaries of this 2,000 square kilometre area. The sites featured many remnants of dwellings, with stone and ceramic artefacts. Datings suggested that this civilisation was 5,300 years old, and survived for at least 3,000 years.

Containers, La Florida, Ecuador.

••• It is believed that cacao was not domesticated in Mexico but in the Upper Amazon ••• 

2Archaeologists conducted thorough excavations on the most imposing site, Santa Ana-La Florida, discovered in March 2003, digging out remnants of stone architecture, polished stone containers and pottery very different from that of other Amazonian cultures. They unearthed the oldest residues of a cocoa drink in history. They also found remnants of burnt cacao in a household bin, a sign that beans may also have been used for cooking. Therefore, while cacao was brought back from Mexico by the Conquistadors in the 16th century, the plant may have been domesticated much earlier in another American region, in the Upper Amazon, where there are numerous varieties of wild cacao trees. This finding confirmed an old story, thereby adding economic value to the excellent reputation of the cacao produced in this region. It was directly beneficial to local producers and populations.

Mortar shaped like a cacao pod, Ecuador.

3Furthermore, the remnants of the Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañón community featured shells from the Pacific. This civilisation was therefore in contact with coastal populations and people living in the Andes, and probably also with those of the Amazon River. There is no doubt that much remains to be discovered, as more than two thirds of the Amazon is still archaeologically unexplored.

“The positive impact of archaeological research in the upper Amazon, with its societal dimension, contributes to reasserting the identity of populations through their local cultural heritage…”
Quirino Olivera Nunez, chair of the Peruvian Association of Archaeology and Social Development of the Amazon