Earliest Settlers
The Amazon Floodplain has been occupied for a long time. It is still debated how long humans have been in the Americas. A campsite at Monte Verde in Chile was occupied 30,000 years ago. Humans have been in the Amazon for at least 11,000 years - cave and rock wall paintings in Serra do Pilão, near Monte Alegre are this old. The terrain in this area, as well as a large lake (Lago Grande de Monte Alegre), would have been well suited for hunter-gatherers.
Population
It is hard to determine how populated the Amazon was previous to European Discovery. This is because many early reports may have been highly exaggerated. In 1542, it was estimated that parts of the Amazon were so inhabited that each village was within "a crossbow shot" of the next. A Kaiapo Shaman in Brazil.
Many of these early reports have been dismissed as highly
exaggerated, yet some archaeological excavations suggest that the Amazon was home to a large population, which was culturally and economically advanced. It is hard to project the size of the population based on excavated sites, because many sites may not have survived due to river flooding.
Advanced Culture
This prehistoric Amazonian culture was very advanced. Pottery making had been developed two thousand years before it had in the Andes or Mesoamerica. Trade in food, clothing, and art occurred inter-regionally. There is even evidence that large civil works projects were conducted, for water control, defense, and habitation.
The Amazonians relied on hunting and fishing. In the thousand years prior to European discovery, agriculture was strengthened, due to the pressure of an increasing population. Root, seed, and maize crops were cultivated, and fruit and nuts were collected from the forest. Cotton was also cultivated, for clothing.
Farming practices previous to European discovery of this culture are largely unknown. Sweet potato was probably a staple crop over the past 10,000 years, as it is harvestable in just a few months, perfect for an area that is flooded for most of the year. Cocoyam, a plant well adapted to wet places, may have been another root crop. Today, neither of these roots are important crops today. The dominant root crop today is manioc.
Animals
The only domesticated animals kept by prehistoric Amazonians was the muscovy duck, and possibly stingless bees. Abundant sources of animal protein along the rivers may have made animal domestication unnecessary. In contrast, many mammals and birds were kept as pets, usually captured when young. Some were eventually eaten, but birds such as parrots, macaws, and harpy eagles were used to supply feathers for ornamental clothing.
A Dug out Canoe
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