Neither counterfeit nor paradise: The carrying capacity of pre-Columbian ecosystems in Brazil

The size of Brazil's population before colonization is indicative of the devastation from slavery, disease, and general upheaval that followed. The question is controversial, however: The coast and Amazon floodplains were heavily settled, yet the extent to which complex societies occupied the upland forests and savannas is uncertain. The carrying capacities of 461 indigenous domains east of 57°W longitude are estimated using 3 approaches: a predator–prey model of energy flow calibrated with remote-sensing data; feasible yields of maize, manioc, beans, and potatoes; and protein availability from hunting. Native ecosystems were capable of sustaining dozens of people per square kilometer, but the actual density was probably closer to a lower bound of 0.50. Within Amazonia, the floodplain could have supported several times more inhabitants than plateau forests, savannas, or scrubland. The overall standard of living was likely higher than commonly believed, although life in prehistoric Brazil was nonetheless far from “paradise.”