Kuhikugu

Kuhikugu is a pre-Columbian archaeological complex in the Upper Xingu region of Mato Grosso, Brazil, within the Xingu Indigenous Park. It is notable as evidence of densely settled, planned villages in the central Amazon documented by archaeologists in recent decades.

The complex comprises roughly 20 mapped settlement sites with plazas, berms and earthworks, and archaeologists estimate populations across the cluster in the tens of thousands at its height. Excavations and survey work have identified house sites, roads and evidence of managed landscapes and food production.

Research and excavations were carried out from the late 20th century by Brazilian and international teams led by researchers such as Michael Heckenberger, who interpreted the remains as part of a complex sociopolitical landscape that persisted until around the time of European contact. Findings changed assumptions about pre-Columbian demography and land use in the Amazon.

The sites are located in the Upper Xingu basin in northeastern Mato Grosso inside the Xingu Indigenous Park, set within tropical forest and savanna mosaics managed by indigenous communities.

• Access: Access to the sites is controlled and they lie within the Xingu Indigenous Park, so visits require permission from indigenous authorities and organised arrangements.
• Research: Archaeological surveys since the 1990s revealed a cluster of villages and earthworks, changing ideas about population density in the pre-contact Amazon.