The pre-Colombian roads of geoglyphs sites in the state of acre: the tequinho site road complex

Abstract

This article prioritized studying the roads and paths that are interconnected to geoglyph-type sites in the Western Brazilian Amazon, not only because of their originality, but also to understand some issues that permeate the universe of geoglyphs, such as how was gave the spatial distribution of these roads in the region, what meaning they had within the sociocultural context of that society. For a more detailed analysis, the Tequinho site was used as the main object of the research, its characteristics and location being what most contributed to its choice, given that it is in the center of the region where the geoglyphs occur, and several roads and paths are linked to the site, and are noticeable in the landscape. The Tequinho site is understood as a public center for cultural and religious events, and its roads and paths are seen as central props in ritualistic ceremonies, as well as markers and boundaries in the landscape. This article also addresses the importance of the Iquiri River, which works, was part of the context of a land-fluvial network in the region of geoglyphs, in the east of the State of Acre, Brazil. During this work, ethno-historical sources were used as a theoretical framework, as well as the perspective of landscape archeology.