Geometry by Design: Contribution of Lidar to the Understanding of Settlement Patterns of the Mound Villages in SW Amazonia

Jose Iriarte; Mark Robinson; Jonas de Souza; Antonia Damasceno; Franciele da Silva; Francisco Nakahara; Alceu Ranzi; Luiz Aragao

doi:10.5334/jcaa.45

Figures & Tables

Map of earthworks across the southern rim of the Amazon showing spatial dispersion of mound villages. For the inset in the state of Acre, see Figure 2.

Map of our study region showing lidar transects and spatial distribution of Mound Villages.

Topography of Acre state. a. Aerial view of area around Fazenda Iquiri circular mound village showing extensive plateaus on the SE portion of Acre state. b. Lidar image of dissected landscape at the Cazumbá-Iracema Extractive Reserve. Scale bar = 500 m.

VUX-1 integrated into the Bell 500M helicopter.

Table 1

Inventory of Mound Villages in the study area.

ID	Site Name	x (UTM 19S)	y (UTM 19S)	Classification	LIDAR	Number of mounds	Mound shape	Entrance shape	Paired	Main avenue directions	Diameter (m)	Associated features	Elevation (m)
1	Aparecida do Norte I	705710	8924021	Irregular	No				No			Square Geoglyph	140
2	Caboquim	700331	8915044	Circular	Yes	26	Elongated and square	L	Superimposed	North/South	84		140
3	Coqueiral	680928	8905338	Irregular	No	10	Elongated		No	North/South			160
4	Dois círculos IV	647270	8871232	Rectangular	Yes	16	Elongated and square		Twins		77	Circular Geoglyph	200
5	Dois círculos V	647803	8871561	Irregular	Yes	32	Elongated and square		Twin/Superimposed		68	Circular Geoglyph	200
6	Dona Maria IV	698270	8920257	Circular	Yes	12			Twins		105	Square Geoglyph	160
7	Dona Maria V	697792	8919995	Circular	Yes	16	Elongated and square		Twins			Square Geoglyph	160
8	Estrela do Norte I	653169	8877129	Circular	Yes	12			Twins		84	Square Geoglyph	170
9	Estrela do Norte II	653379	8878115	Irregular	Yes	12			Twins		67	Square Geoglyph	160
10	Fazenda Boa Esperança	700753	8911712	Circular	Yes	14			No	North/South	55		160
11	Fazenda Iquiri II	674027	8886364	Circular	No	19	Elongated		No	East/West	153	Square Geoglyph	190
12	Fazenda Tocantins	699646	8905612	Circular	Yes	18		L	No	East/West	60		150
13	Fonte Boa II	684072	8886375	Circular	No				No			Square Geoglyph	210
14	Gavião VI	649260	8836229	Rectangular	No	5	Elongated		Twins	Sudeste	33		210
15	Gavião VII	649417	8836048	Rectangular	No	7	Elongated		Twins	North	35		210
16	Gavião VIII	650216	8836814	Rectangular	No	6	Elongated		No		50	Square Geoglyph	210
17	Independência	655462	8878437	Irregular	Yes				No	North/South			170
18	Karina	658805	8882164	Circular	Yes	11	Elongated and square		No	North/South	72		160
19	Lidar	676417	8906822	Irregular	Yes	3			No				170
20	Montículos Plácido	677412	8868019	Circular	No	20	Elongated		No	East/West	115		150
21	Nakahara 79	698560	8879231	Circular	No				No	North/South	77		160
22	Nakahara 88 II	673493	8852425	Rectangular	No	8	Elongated and square		No	North/South	33		180
23	Nakahara 104	657597	8857397	Rectangular	No	8	Elongated	L	No	East/West	34		200
24	Nakahara 136	590803	8853516	Rectangular	No	10	Elongated and square		No		55		210
25	Nakahara 166	649418	8837242	Rectangular	No	9	Elongated	L	No	North/South	35	Square Geoglyph	190
26	Nakahara 174	656854	8861015	Rectangular	No	7	Elongated	L	No	North/South	72	Circular Geoglyph	210
27	Nakahara 177	659686	8871460	Circular	No	7	Elongated		No	South/East	115		200
28	Nakahara 180	665065	8893773	Irregular	No				No	North			180
29	Nakahara 195 II	702868	8922127	Irregular	No				Twins	North/South		Square Geoglyph	140
30	Nakahara 195 III	703926	8922561	Irregular	No				Twins	North/South		Square Geoglyph	150
31	Nakahara AC 207	650843	8901952	Irregular	No				No				160
32	Nakahara AC 209	659674	8916810	Irregular	No				No				150
33	Nakahara 223	464778	8815609	Circular	No				No		40		270
34	Nakahara 225	648998	8831007	Rectangular	No				No	North	22		200
35	Nakahara 226	659757	8847511	Irregular	No	3	Elongated		No	North/South	66		220
36	Nakahara 227	665579	8861886	Irregular	No				No				190
37	Nakahara 228	663813	8888556	Circular	No	8	Elongated	L	Twins	South	80		160
38	Nakahara 229	686380	8866200	Circular	No	9			No		72		150
39	Nakahara 230 I	671748	8896379	Circular	No	10	Elongated		Twins	North/South	105		160
40	Nakahara 230 II	672121	8896351	Circular	No	9	Elongated	L	Twins	North/South	73		160
41	Peter 1	680162	8908938	Irregular	No	6	Elongated	L	No	Noroeste	43		160
42	Peter 2	688398	8913104	Circular	No	9	Elongated		No	Noroeste/sudeste	77		140
43	Peter 3	705294	8923462	Irregular	No				No				140
44	Ramal Nabor Junior I	701011	8902345	Circular		5		L	No	North/South	104		150
45	Sanna	672735	8906845	Rectangular	Yes	7	Elongated	L	No	South		Square Geoglyph	200
46	Sol do Alceu	441809	8793705	Circular	No	4			No		89		280
47	Sol do Iquiri	675577	8900386	Circular	No	16	Elongated and square	L	No	East/West	114		150
48	Sol de Campinas	685329	8887733	Circular	No	15	Elongated		No	North	106		170
49	Sol de Maio	674441	8893856	Circular	No	17			No	North	100		170
50	Sol do Nakahara I	663896	8888254	Circular	No	11	Elongated	L	Twins	North/South	50		160
51	Sol do Nakahara II	646957	8845072	Circular	No		Elongated		No		55		220