We describe the lizard assemblage from an Amazonian savanna in the region of Monte Alegre, Pará, Brazil, using ecological, morphological, and life history data, and examining the role of history in the assemblage. The lizard assemblage in Monte Alegre contained seven species. Microhabitat niche breadth was low for all species in the assemblage and niche overlap varied from none to almost complete. The least overlap in microhabitat occurred among more distantly related species and the greatest overlap occurred among teiids. Lizards were active between 9:00 and 17:00 h. Active foragers tended to be active during the hottest hours of day, whereas sit and wait foragers were more commonly observed later in the day, when temperatures were lower. Analysis of body temperatures identified two statistically homogeneous groups, one with teiids and another with the remaining species. Dietary overlap was highest among teiids. Pseudocommunity analyses showed that neither mean dietary overlap nor mean microhabitat overlap differed statistically from random, indicating lack of structure. Factor scores of morphological variables per species revealed clusters corresponding to lizard families. An examination of ecological traits mapped onto a tree depicting phylogenetic relationships among species and comparisons with related species from other biomes clearly indicated the role of history in the Monte Alegre lizard assemblage. This result was corroborated by Canonical Phylogenetic Ordination analysis.