AMAZONIAN ARCHAELOGY AND DIGITAL HERITAGE:

INDIGENOUS CERAMICS FROM THE CENTRAL AMAZON AND THE PRESERVATION OF MEMORY THROUGH VIRTUAL COLLECTION

Abstract

This research aims to analyze and catalog ceramic collections from Central Amazonia, with an emphasis on the Guarita Phase, housed in the Archaeology Laboratory of the Federal University of Amazonas, linked to the Museu Amazônico, articulating archaeology, Indigenous history, and digital heritage. By doing so, the study seeks to democratize access to archaeological knowledge, bringing researchers, students, and the general public closer together, since inserting ceramic artifacts and their contexts into a digital image database promotes both the preservation and dissemination of Indigenous peoples’ culture. For this purpose, a computerized cataloging system was developed, integrating existing collections and new findings into the digital archive available on the Museu Amazônico website¹. The work also reflects on how historiography has stigmatized the figure of the Indigenous in Brazil, thereby advocating for a more critical and inclusive approach. In this sense, digital heritage emerges as a tool for valuing Indigenous memory and strengthening cultural identity in the Amazon.