"Amazon - the lost world" is a three-part documentary from 2020, following archeologists and anthropologists trekking in the Amazon rain forests in South America. Colombia, Bolivia, Brazil and Peru are visited. The goal is to investigate evidence that a high culture once existed in the Amazon basin. Once believed to be pseudo-science, recent discoveries suggest that this was indeed the case. Early European explorers were telling the truth when they reported towns along the Amazon river. Likewise, traditions among certain Native tribes about a more glorious past (and much larger settlements) have also been proven correct. At its height, Amazon was the home to a population of about 10 million people!
The Amazonian civilizations disappeared during the 16th century due to a variety of factors: lethal diseases inadvertently introduced by the Europeans, poisoning by quicksilver (used in gold extraction), and massive slave-raiding. In some areas, the high cultures were declining already before the conquista, due to climate change. Some mysteries still remain, for instance why one Native group have genetic markers similar to those of Australian Aboriginals, Papuans and the Andamanese! That an ancient high culture can just disappear, its remains overgrown by jungle, its few descendants becoming hunters and gatherers, is quite chilling...
The documentary is "pro-Native" and features interviews with contemporary Native groups about their land rights struggles against the Brazilian state. We also get to follow a Peruvian army unit attacking illegal gold prospectors.
Actually quite interesting. Recommended.
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