Thread by @blog_supplement

Finally, read the Bolivian Amazon civilization paper: they call it a "agrarian-based, low-density urbanism" similar to that seen in other parts of the world. 2 thoughts came to mind. In at least south east Asia/archipelago & Lanka such urbanism was brought
nature.com/articles/s4158…

from higher density non-rainforest regions rather than rising there "out of thin air" or should we say water. Did the same happen in Amazonia? Perhaps the genetic connections of the Amazonians to others coming up in some studies suggests this. The 2nd is the pyramid architecture

Pyramids are seen in North America (Mississippian pyramids) that in some ways are reminiscent of the early Mesoamerican pyramids of the Olmecs. Of course, the subsequent Mesoamerican pyramids are legendary. Then we have the South American ones in Equador (Cochasquí)& Peru (Caral)

the latter apparently starting early, perhaps earlier than Olmec. We also have Túcume in Peru. Now we have these pyramids of the Bolivian Casarabe culture. I do realize that pyramid architecture has arisen among many unrelated cultures across the world. However, the 1st Americans

have a relatively recent common origin. Hence, was there a common origin for their propensity to make large pyramids stemming from some deep religious homology? Or was there some kind of long-range pre-Columbian diffusion from a single culture? Or was it inspired by visions from

entheogen use by the 1st Americans. It seems in 378CE the great Teotihuacan emperor Spearthrower Owl& his general Fire-is-born conquered a huge swath of Mesoamerica from Mexico to Honduras suggesting foundations of unified tradition in that domain. Did other such events happen?

On Spearthrower Owl's empire etc: science.org/content/articl…