The archaeology of the Upper Madeira within the archaeological context of Amazonia

Abstract This article reviews the data currently available on the area downstream of the waterfalls on the Upper Madeira River. This is a key segment of the largest tributary of the Amazon River, with headwaters in the Central Andres: it is comprised of the union of the Mamoré, Beni, and Madre de Dios, three great rivers flowing from Bolivia and Peru. Comparative analysis suggests that the archaeology in the area downstream of the waterfalls of the Madeira River bears more resemblance to patterns observed in central Amazonia than in the region upstream. On the other hand, the Upper Madeira also features elements related to the surrounding cultural diversity. We consequently suggest that the waterfalls acted as an enduring boundary throughout the Late Holocene, connecting regions with distinct cultural patterns within Amazonia.

摘要 本文梳理了马代拉河（Madeira River）上游瀑布下游区域现有的公开数据。该区域作为亚马孙河（Amazon River）最大支流的关键河段，其源头位于安第斯中部：流域由分别发源于玻利维亚与秘鲁的三条大型河流——马莫雷河（Mamoré）、贝尼河（Beni）与马德雷德迪奥斯河（Madre de Dios）——汇流而成。对比分析显示，马代拉河瀑布下游区域的考古学特征，与亚马孙中部地区观测到的文化模式更为相似，而非其上游区域。与此同时，马代拉河上游还存在与周边文化多样性相关的文化元素。据此我们提出，在整个全新世晚期，这些瀑布始终作为一道持久的边界，将亚马孙内部具有不同文化模式的区域连接起来。