Towards an understanding of the socio-political organization of the Tapajó during late precolonial times, Lower Amazon

Archaeological research conducted in the Lower Amazon has demonstrated that this region was populated by one of the largest Amazonian polities during late precolonial times. This article presents a reflection on the socio-political organization of the Tapajó society based on the comparison between the well-studied Santarém site located at the mouth of the Tapajós River and new data collected at Cedro site located in the Belterra plateau. Until recently, archaeological sources on the Santarém region came from ethnohistorical accounts and archaeological research conducted at the mouth of the Tapajós River. Based on these data, archaeologists concluded that the Tapajó were organized into a hierarchical chiefdom. Based on new data, this work concludes that the Tapajó organization was heterarchical.