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上游瀑布下游区域目前可获取的相关数据。马代拉河作为亚马逊河的最大支流，其上游河段为该水系的关键组成部分，源头位于安第斯中部，由源自玻利维亚与秘鲁的三大河流——马莫雷河、贝尼河与马德雷德迪奥斯河汇流而成。比较分析结果表明，马代拉河瀑布下游区域的考古遗存特征，与亚马逊中部地区的考古模式更为相似，而非其上游区域。另一方面，马代拉河上游也存在与周边文化多样性相关的文化元素。据此我们提出，在全新世晚期，该瀑布始终作为一道持久的边界，串联起亚马逊流域内具有不同文化模式的各个区域。