Dr. Carla Jaimes Betancourt (University of Bonn) will present to students in UVA professor Sonia Alconini's archaeology classes on "The ancient Amazon: Pre-Columbian monumental architecture and the origins of complex societies in the Llanos de Mojos, Bolivia".
The presentation will provide an overview of the history of southwestern Amazon, which dates back at least 10,000 years. It will focus on the monumental and cultural achievements of two specific areas of study: (a) the ring ditches in the Northeast or Iténez region and (b) the monumental mounds to the Southeast of the Llanos de Moxos. Their configuration, landscape transformation, regional patterns and internal organization show a long and complex social dynamic that was not exempt from the influence of broader regional processes. This presentation reflects on the political, ritual and defensive role of the mounds and ring ditches, and their relationship with the sudden transformations that occurred largely in Amazonia: the first during the first centuries A.D., and the second at the beginning of the second millennium. More information at https://indigenousarts.as.virginia.edu/carla-jaimes-betancourt-class-visit