All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

andes

Arial photo of the Callacpuma plaza, with the stone circle at the center. Source: Toohey et al./Science Advances

4700-year-old Megalithic Circle Discovered in the High Andes of Peru

Archaeologists have discovered a prehistoric plaza high in the Andes, known as Callacpuma stone plaza, was built nearly 5,000 years ago by ancient nomadic groups. At an elevation exceeding 3,000...
Aymara woman by the Titicaca Lake, collecting staples of an Andean Paleo diet.. Source: Rafal Cichawa/Adobe Stock

Andean Hunter-Gatherers Gathered Far More Than They Hunted!

A new study of human remains found at two archaeological sites in the mountains of Peru calls into question the primacy of hunting in ancient South American hunting-gathering cultures. While there is...
Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, where some of the projectiles used to date the introduction of archery in the Andes were found. Source: SL-Photography/Adobe Stock

Rise of Archery in Andes Mountains Now Dated to 5,000 Years Ago

By Greg Watry/ UC Davis When did archery arise in the Americas? And what were the effects of this technology on society? These questions have long been debated among anthropologists and...
Hillforts (pukaras) in the south-central highlands of Peru. Source: Elizabeth Arkush, Lauren Kohut, Romuald Housse, Ryan Smith, & Steven A. Wernke / Antiquity Publications Ltd

Andean Archaeology Revealed On An Unprecedented Scale

Astounding GeoPACHA software is advancing Andean archaeology. The new and innovative web application is allowing researchers to map archaeological features in the Andes mountains of South America...
Excavations of a group burial complex of the Wari empire. Source: ed. M. Giersz, © PUCP Archaeology Program “Valley of Pachacámac”/ CC BY-SA 4.0; Center & Right: © M.Giersz, ed. K. Kowalewski/ CC BY-SA 4.0

Wari-Mask Mummies And Carved Totems Dating Back to 800-1000 AD Found in Peru

A recent discovery at Pachacámac in Peru has revealed a significant find of seventy-three intact burials, in funerary bundles known as ‘fardos’. The burials are of both genders, with some adorned...
Weapons and defensive objects are evidence that show that hunter-gatherer communities in the Atacama Desert resorted to violence for conflict-solving. Source:  Standen et al., 2023, PLOS ONE/CC-BY 4.0

Hunter-Gatherers in the Atacama Desert Resorted to Brutal Violence

A couple of years ago, a study alluded to Neolithic farmers in Chile’s Atacama Desert engaging in violent battles over resources. Turn back the clock further, and a newer study points to ancient...
Pre-Inca wall has been discovered in Huaca Tomabal, Valley of Viru in Peru. It supported a ceremonial temple, experts explain. Source: University of Trujillo

4,500-Year-Old Andean Temple Polychrome Painted Wall Revealed

In 2020, archaeologists in northern Peru unearthed the crumbling remains of a 4,500-year-old wall. This wall is historically valuable because it was painted with geometric patterns, but what makes...
Dance platform at a modern but traditional Inti Raymi celebration. Early Andeans created a dance floor to imitate the sound of thunder when danced on. Source: Youenn JACQUIN/Adobe Stock

Ancient Andean Thundering Dance Floor Uncovered in Peru

An open-air “sounding” dance floor in Peru has been discovered, designed to mimic a drum-like sound, perhaps for a thunder god when stomped upon! Built sometime between 1000 and 1400 AD, the site...
3,000-Year-Old Corridor in Peru Temple Yields Massive Condor Statue

3,000-Year-Old Corridor in Peru Temple Yields Curious Condor Statue

Archaeologists in Peru used cameras mounted on robots to explore the entrance to a 3,000-year-old sealed tunnel at the Chavin de Huantar archaeological site in Peru. The excitement was static when...
Representational image of man with slingshot. Source: emerald_media / Adobe Stock

Andean Pucara Was a Deadly Slingshot Contest to Ensure Fruitful Harvest

Southern Ecuador was once home to a fascinating indigenous game which was a literal battle for survival. Deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of the provinces of Azuay and Cañar, Pucara , also...
A child mummy found at high-altitude in the Andes. Source: Jason Quinn / CC by SA 3.0

High-Altitude Wonders: Frozen Child Mummies of the Andes (Video)

The Andes Mountains in South America have been home to ancient civilizations for thousands of years. High-altitude archaeology has played a crucial role in uncovering their fascinating history. One...
Isabel Gramesón survived alone in the Amazon jungle during her quest to be reunited with her husband. Source: Chernyakov Aleksandr / Adobe Stock

Isabel Gramesón Walked 3,000 Miles Across The Amazon For Love

Back in the 1730s, a group of daring Frenchmen embarked on a mission to calculate the true size and shape of the Earth. Led by Charles Marie de la Condamine as part of the famed French Geodesic...
Woman crossing the Queshuachaca Inca rope bridge near Huinchiri in Peru. Source: Danita Delimont / Adobe Stock

Dizzying Inca Rope Bridges Were Grass-Made Marvels of Engineering

Spanish conquistadors couldn't believe their eyes while exploring the rugged terrain of the Andes during their invasion of Peru. On entering Inca territory in the 16th century, they were bowled over...
Composite image of depiction of Freud, the father of psychoanalysis and a renowned coke addict, combined with a photo of lines of cocaine. Source: SergioArt22 / Adobe Stock & Josif / Adobe Stock

Extracted from Andean Coca, Freud Promoted Cocaine as a Miracle Drug

Indigenous peoples in the Amazon and Andes regions of South America have been chewing coca leaves for as many as 8,000 years. But did you know that these leaves were only transformed into highly-...
The Salar de Uyuni landscape in Bolivia. Source: subbotsky / Adobe Stock

The Gods and an Ancient Andean Calendar at the Salar de Uyuni

Within the Bolivia 2020 Pre-Expedition developed in February 2020 by the Akakor Geographical Exploring team under the direction of Lorenzo Epis, the imposing Salar de Uyuni and surrounding areas in...
Vicuna near the Colca Canyon, Peru. Source: alessandro / Adobe Stock

Centuries old Vicuna Shearing Tradition Lives on in the Peruvian Andes

The vicuna is a wild (and graceful) relative of the llama, populating the higher altitude regions of South America, particularly the Andes mountains, and is coveted for its fine, silky wool. They are...
A Chinchorro mummy

7,000-Year-Old Chinchorro Mummies are the World's Oldest

The mummies of ancient Egypt are arguably the most famous mummies in the world. They are not, however, the oldest. The Chinchorros of South America began preserving their dead about 7,000 years ago...
Amazonian Mummified Parrots Discovered in the Atacama Desert

Amazonian Mummified Parrots Discovered in the Atacama Desert

Researchers have made the curious discovery of mummified parrots in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile . Between 1000 and 1460 BC, parrots and macaws were transported over 300 miles to one of the...
Do the rainbows over Machu Picchu end in the long-lost “pot of gold” that is Paititi, the last city of the Incas.              Source: Photography by KO / Adobe Stock

Locating Legendary Paititi: Long-Lost Last City Of The Inca

A nearly five-hundred-year-old secret lies deep within the Peruvian Andes . The desire to know this secret impassioned the hearts and minds of many explorers from all different time periods and...
The researchers found surprising examples of genetic continuity of ancient Andean genes to some modern groups. Source: SL-Photography /Adobe Stock

Ancient Andean Genes Reveal DNA Continuity Amid Cultural Clashes

An international research team has conducted the first in-depth, wide-scale study of ancient Andean genes before European contact. The findings, published online May 7 in Cell , reveal early genetic...
View at Machu Picchu, probably the most famous Inca settlement recorded by the big data archaeology model.          Source: fife76 / Public Domain

Big Data Used to Create Comprehensive Map of Inca Settlements

Parker VanValkenburgh, an assistant professor of anthropology, curated a journal issue that explores the opportunities and challenges big data could bring to the field of archaeology. PROVIDENCE, R.I...
The wooden statue of the Pachacamac idol.  Source: (Sepúlveda M, Pozzi-Escot D, Angeles Falcón R, Bermeo N, Lebon M, Moulhérat C, et al. (2020)/ PlosOne)/ Museo de sitio Pachacamac

Ancient ‘Inca’ Pachacamac Idol Whispers Secrets of Wari Past

An ancient and deeply spiritualized wooden idol of the Andean ‘Earth Maker’, Pachacamac ( Quechua: Pachakamaq ), was once worshiped at the Temple of the Sun; a 30,000-square-meter step pyramid at the...
A previously discovered pendant made by the Sechin culture. (Lombard Museum/CC BY 3.0) Right: The newly unearthed Peruvian pyramid was also made by the Sechin culture. (Andina)

5000-year-old Pyramid Structure Leads to Grisly Finds In Peru

In Peru, archaeologists have uncovered a mysterious pyramid structure in a massive archaeological complex. The pyramid may have been used for ceremonial purposes and could even have been the site of...
View of the ancient Inca City, Machu Picchu, Peru. Source: alekosa /Adobe Stock

Researchers Claim X Marks the Spot for Machu Picchu

The ancient Inca sanctuary of Machu Picchu is considered one of humanity's greatest architectural achievements. Built in a remote Andean setting atop a narrow ridge high above a precipitous river...

Pages