The Marajoara or Marajó culture was a pre-Columbian era society that flourished on Marajó island at the mouth of the Amazon River. In a survey, Mann suggests dates between 800 AD and 1400 AD for the culture,[1] while other research posits activity two centuries earlier and persistence two centuries later, into the colonial era.[2]
Sophisticated pottery—large and elaborately painted and incised with representations of plants and animals—is the most impressive finding in the area and provided the first evidence of complex society on Marajó. Evidence of mound building further suggests well-populated and sophisticated settlements emerged on the island. However, the extent, level of complexity, and resource interactions of the Marajoara culture are disputed. Meggers suggests that the society migrated from the Andes and settled on the island.[3]