Ratanabá, The "Capital of The World"? The Theory Of The Lost City In The Amazon Commented By Scientists

Ratanabá, The “Capital of The World”? The Theory Of The Lost City In The Amazon Commented By Scientists

Written by Maria Heloisa Barbosa Borges

Published on 21/07/2025 at 20:13

Por dentro da farsa de Ratanabá: o que há por trás da teoria que viralizou no Brasil

2 people reacted to this.

Understand How the Theory About Ratanabá, A Supposed Lost City in the Amazon, Went Viral on Social Media and Why Scientists Classify It as Dangerous Fake News.

In recent years, a fantastic theory has taken over Brazilian social media: the existence of Ratanabá, a supposed lost city in the Amazon that would be the “capital of the world,” built by an advanced civilization 450 million years ago. The narrative, fueled by viral videos and posts, has made a strong resurgence, often ignored by mainstream media at first, but gaining traction in messaging groups and online forums.

However, for the scientific community, the story of Ratanabá is nothing more than an elaborate conspiracy theory with no archaeological, geological, or historical basis. Experts warn that, behind the fascination with a lost city in the Amazon, there is a dangerous smokescreen that diverts attention from real and urgent problems in the region, such as illegal deforestation and violence against indigenous peoples.

What Does the Theory of Ratanabá Say?

Ratanabá, the “capital of the world”? The theory of the lost city in the Amazon commented on by scientists

Promoted mainly by the pseudoscientific organization Dakila Pesquisas, led by Urandir Fernandes de Oliveira, the theory claims that Ratanabá would be an underground metropolis, located on the border between Mato Grosso, Amazonas, and Pará. Founded by the “Muril civilization,” the first on Earth, the city would have advanced technologies, tunnels connecting to other parts of the world, and untold riches.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Science Debunks: Why Ratanabá is Impossible?

Scientists and researchers from renowned institutions, such as USP and the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), unanimously refute the theory.

Geological and Biological Impossibility: The date of 450 million years is one of the most absurd points. During this period, known as the Ordovician, life on Earth was primitive, limited to marine invertebrates. There were no humans, dinosaurs, or even the Amazon rainforest as we know it.

The Truth About the Geoglyphs: The supposed “ruins” shown by the theorists are, in fact, geoglyphs, large drawings made on the ground by ancient indigenous civilizations. Archaeologist Eduardo Góes Neves from USP explains that these structures, found mainly in Acre, are about 2,000 to 3,000 years old, not millions.

The Danger Behind the Myth

For the Brazilian public, the theory of Ratanabá is more than just a simple fanciful story. It is dangerous because:

It Diverts Attention from Real Problems: While discussing an imaginary city, deforestation, illegal mining, and violence in the Amazon continue to advance.

It Undervalues Indigenous History: The theory erases the rich history of indigenous peoples, attributing their constructions to aliens or mythical civilizations.

It Encourages Predatory Exploitation: The promise of hidden treasures can be used as justification for new invasions and deforestation in the forest.

The true wealth of the Amazon is not in an underground city of gold, but in its biodiversity, its culture, and the peoples who have inhabited and protected it for millennia.

And you, what do you think? Why do theories like that of the lost city in the Amazon gain so much strength on social media? Share your opinion in the comments.

Ratanabá, The “Capital of The World”? The Theory Of The Lost City In The Amazon Commented By Scientists

Understand How the Theory About Ratanabá, A Supposed Lost City in the Amazon, Went Viral on Social Media and Why Scientists Classify It as Dangerous Fake News.

What Does the Theory of Ratanabá Say?

Science Debunks: Why Ratanabá is Impossible?

The Danger Behind the Myth

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

End of bricklayers laying brick by brick: robot places more than 2,000 bricks per day, automatically applies cement, works with only one human operator next to the machine, and transforms traditional masonry into a high-speed semi-automated operation.

Scientists have discovered that the Earth recycles its own continents in the depths, dragging pieces of crust down during plate collisions and returning them later as magma, in a mechanism called relamination that has helped build the continents for billions of years.

Turkey is building a billion-dollar shortcut to channel billions of dollars by sea with a 45 km long canal, 275 meters wide and 20.75 meters deep, which promises to relieve the Bosphorus amid the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.

AI unveils 3,000-year-old secret on Mesopotamian tablet and reveals cuneiform writing almost erased by time

Motorola closes billion-dollar deal and fully enters the global race against drones considered a security threat

While ports wait up to seven years for onshore electricity, three floating platforms can deliver clean electricity to large ships in a fraction of the time, eliminating the need for civil works, network reinforcement, and complex licenses, according to a consortium supported by the United Kingdom.

MEI that missed the deadline for the annual declaration comes under the radar of the Federal Revenue Service and can still avoid a larger fine, interest, and CNPJ blockage.

In over 120 dives between Karpathos and Saria, archaeologists mapped five shipwrecks, ancient amphorae, port facilities, and more than 20 Byzantine anchors; the Aegean seabed revealed a 2,600-year-old maritime network that almost vanished from history.

Ratanabá, The “Capital of The World”? The Theory Of The Lost City In The Amazon Commented By Scientists

Understand How the Theory About Ratanabá, A Supposed Lost City in the Amazon, Went Viral on Social Media and Why Scientists Classify It as Dangerous Fake News.

What Does the Theory of Ratanabá Say?

Science Debunks: Why Ratanabá is Impossible?

The Danger Behind the Myth

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

End of bricklayers laying brick by brick: robot places more than 2,000 bricks per day, automatically applies cement, works with only one human operator next to the machine, and transforms traditional masonry into a high-speed semi-automated operation.

Scientists have discovered that the Earth recycles its own continents in the depths, dragging pieces of crust down during plate collisions and returning them later as magma, in a mechanism called relamination that has helped build the continents for billions of years.

Turkey is building a billion-dollar shortcut to channel billions of dollars by sea with a 45 km long canal, 275 meters wide and 20.75 meters deep, which promises to relieve the Bosphorus amid the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.

MEI that missed the deadline for the annual declaration comes under the radar of the Federal Revenue Service and can still avoid a larger fine, interest, and CNPJ blockage.

In over 120 dives between Karpathos and Saria, archaeologists mapped five shipwrecks, ancient amphorae, port facilities, and more than 20 Byzantine anchors; the Aegean seabed revealed a 2,600-year-old maritime network that almost vanished from history.

Weather in Brazil on June 1st will have cold mornings in the South, strong sun in the Midwest, and storms in areas of the North and Northeast.

New York hides a fake house among million-dollar properties: without residents, the facade in Brooklyn disguises ventilation and an emergency exit for the subway that can help passengers escape and remove smoke in accidents in the underground tunnels.

Hearing from many people that he was crazy, the businessman from Joinville, Paulo Cortez, left the traditional parts store he had run for over 25 years and traveled across the world to China to invest in a business that no one took seriously in Brazil: electric bicycles.

AI unveils 3,000-year-old secret on Mesopotamian tablet and reveals cuneiform writing almost erased by time

Motorola closes billion-dollar deal and fully enters the global race against drones considered a security threat

While ports wait up to seven years for onshore electricity, three floating platforms can deliver clean electricity to large ships in a fraction of the time, eliminating the need for civil works, network reinforcement, and complex licenses, according to a consortium supported by the United Kingdom.

MEI that missed the deadline for the annual declaration comes under the radar of the Federal Revenue Service and can still avoid a larger fine, interest, and CNPJ blockage.

In over 120 dives between Karpathos and Saria, archaeologists mapped five shipwrecks, ancient amphorae, port facilities, and more than 20 Byzantine anchors; the Aegean seabed revealed a 2,600-year-old maritime network that almost vanished from history.