Circular village and objects associated with indigenous occupation on the left bank of the Santo Antônio Waterfall

Abstract

This article discusses indigenous occupation of a circular village in the fifteenth century in terms of its shape and analysis of pottery found at the Novo Engenho Velho archaeological site on the upper Madeira river. These spatial components are analyzed against known archaeological settlement patterns. Technical and functional analysis of the ceramics indicates standardized vessel production, with variations according to different functions and activities. These elements are been considered to be associated with Jatuarana ceramics (polychrome tradition); the presence of these objects in a circular village has implications for the current archaeological models proposed for the Amazon.

Keywords
Upper Madeira river; Circular village; Mounds; Pottery