I always thought the 'lost city' stories from the Amazon were just tall tales

For years, I figured those legends of ancient cities under the jungle were just explorers making stuff up. Then last year, a team using lidar in Bolivia found over 20 settlements connected by roads. The scans showed huge platforms and pyramids hidden under the trees. Seeing the actual layout maps changed my mind completely. Has anyone else had a big change of heart on a famous 'myth' after seeing new tech like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

bettykim3mo ago

Seeing the actual layout maps" did it for me too.

jason1123mo ago

Honestly I get the opposite feeling from layout maps. They make everything look so clean and simple on paper, but then you see the real space and it's totally different. Like they'll show a perfect little kitchen island, but the map doesn't show how cramped it feels when you're actually standing there. The scale always seems off to me.

rileyjones1mo ago

Ha, right? My first apartment I moved into based entirely on one of those maps and some carefully angled photos. The "spacious living room" was basically a hallway with a couch shoved into it. I remember standing there with my first box thinking "oh, this is a closet, not a bedroom." Now I always go see the place in person or at least do a video tour where they pan around slowly. My spatial reasoning is just... not great, lets say. I can barely fold a fitted sheet, what makes me think I can read a floor plan and actually understand it.