Stretching over 6,000,000 sq km and spanning nine countries, the Amazon Rainforest holds the history of past civilizations and serves as an active home to numerous Indigenous groups. Resources such as satellite imagery and LIDAR are helping to fill in the gaps for a previously unknown part of the world, sparking interest in the region and driving global headlines. Rumors exist of a “lost city of Z” in the Amazon, as well as legends like Paititi and El Dorado. While some academics believe “Z” is likely to be Kuhikugu, a patchwork of 20 settlements at the headwaters of the Xingu River, all of these legends hint at dense ancient civilizations waiting to be discovered. There is a pressing need for more collaborative research to identify and preserve these archaeological sites, which are constantly threatened by deforestation and development.

Now, for the first time in history, anyone can conduct archaeological research. Weaving together open-source collections of satellite imagery, archaeological maps, and Indigenous stories, a patchwork trail appears, leading to the possibility of new discoveries that fill in missing pieces of the puzzle. AI empowers us to understand the history of millions of people who lived, struggled, and thrived long ago.

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