Sacred Geographies of Ancient Amazonia

Historical ecological approaches have made important contributions, dispelling the myth that the environment constitutes an objective reality transcending the social context of its production and experience. At the same time, this perspective is equally critical of theories that reduce landscapes to a cultural construction and ignore the agency of meaningful places. Inspired by this approach, Schaan (Federal State Univ. of Pari, Brazil) has written an engaging study of the anthropogenic landscapes of the pre-Columbian Amazon, focusing on the development of the mound centers of the Marajoara culture. The author compares prehistoric land management practices with similar traditions in other regions of the Amazon. Compiling available archaeological data, her analysis successfully debunks the commonplace belief that the Amazon represents a pristine environment, and it provides a convincing reconstruction of the anthropogenically dynamic and diverse landscapes of the Amazonian Basin. Schaan further examines the intersection of managed ecology with Marajoara funerary rites, ancestor worship, social memory, and cosmology and devotes a chapter interpreting the remarkable geoglyphs of the western Amazonian region. The author concludes her study with a pointed critique of government development programs that disregard indigenous knowledge and ecological stewardship. For students of Amazonian archaeology and scholars interested in human-environment relations. Summing Up: Recommended. --CHOICE