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Ancient Tupinambá and Guaraní large-scale movements in the South American lowlands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2025

Mariano Bonomo Open the ORCID record for Mariano Bonomo [Opens in a new window] ,
Eduardo Apolinaire Open the ORCID record for Eduardo Apolinaire [Opens in a new window] ,
Ângelo Alves Corrêa Open the ORCID record for Ângelo Alves Corrêa [Opens in a new window] ,
Francisco Silva Noelli Open the ORCID record for Francisco Silva Noelli [Opens in a new window]  and
Matías Joaquín Dalto
Mariano Bonomo*
Affiliation:
CONICET – División Arqueología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina
Eduardo Apolinaire
Affiliation:
CONICET – División Arqueología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina
Ângelo Alves Corrêa
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina, Brazil
Francisco Silva Noelli
Affiliation:
UNIARQ – Centro de Arqueologia da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Matías Joaquín Dalto
Affiliation:
CONICET – División Arqueología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina
*
Author for correspondence: Mariano Bonomo mbonomo@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar
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Abstract

The Tupí linguistic group is one of the most widespread in South America, indicating a deep history of population movement, yet the ancestral homeland and migration routes of descendant groups remain the subject of debate due to the fragmentary nature of the Amazonian archaeological record. Using a database of more than 660 georeferenced dates from sites of the Tupinambá and Guaraní peoples, the authors deploy a mobility model to investigate the timing of population movements, viable routes and the distances achieved. The results create a more nuanced understanding of the rhythms of migration through an ecologically and socially complex landscape.

Keywords

South AmericaMid- to Late HoloceneTupíradiocarbon datingtransport network modelexpansion routes

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , First View , pp. 1 - 18
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd

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