LostWorlds.org | News: South American Archaeology

Peru: Tomb believed to be older than "Señor de Sipan" found in northern Peru

2009-05-07T23:34:00.000-04:00

(LIP-ir) -- A team of archaeologists, led by Walter Alva, have discovered the wooden tomb of another member of the Mochica culture's elite - older than the "Señor de Sipan" (Lord of Sipan).These findings belong to the Moche civilization, which ruled the northern coast of Peru from the time of Christ to 800 AD, centuries prior to the Incas.Alva has stated that he and his team are investigating and

Earliest-known Evidence of Peanut, Cotton and Squash Farming Found

2009-05-07T23:23:00.001-04:00

Anthropologists working on the slopes of the Andes in northern Peru have discovered the earliest-known evidence of peanut, cotton and squash farming dating back 5,000 to 9,000 years. Their findings provide long-sought-after evidence that some of the early development of agriculture in the New World took place at farming settlements in the Andes.The discovery was published in the June 29 issue of

Decapitated Man Found in Peru Tomb With Ceramic "Replacement" Head

2009-05-07T23:03:00.001-04:00

A headless skeleton found in a Peruvian tomb is adding new wrinkles to the debate over human sacrifice in the ancient Andes. The decapitated body was found in the Nasca region, named for the ancient civilization that thrived in southern Peru from A.D. 1 to 750. Known for producing "Nasca lines" in the earth that depict giant figures, the culture is also noted among archaeologists for

Polynesians beat Columbus to the Americas

2009-05-07T22:39:00.001-04:00

Prehistoric Polynesians beat Europeans to the Americas, according to a new analysis of chicken bones. The work provides the first firm evidence that ancient Polynesians voyaged as far as South America, and also strongly suggests that they were responsible for the introduction of chickens to the continent - a

Earliest Known American Settlers Harvested Seaweed

2008-05-09T15:26:00.002-04:00

Stefan Lovgrenfor National Geographic News May 8, 2008 People living in the earliest known settlement in the Americas harvested seaweed and other marine plants from a coastline more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) away, new research shows. Scientists discovered several species of seaweed and marine algae dating back more than 14,000 years at

Recently Excavated Headless Skeleton Expands Understanding Of Ancient Andean Rituals

2008-05-08T19:04:00.002-04:00

Loading Image... The head jar dates to Nasca 5 and contains the image of a head with a tree growing out of the top and branches extending around the vessel. The tree has eyes, and tassels hang from its branches. The nose is placed high on the forehead, and when the vessel is turned upside down a different face is represented with the nose in the correct anatomical position. The jar has

Rare skeleton, jewels found in Bolivia pyramid

2008-04-28T18:17:00.002-04:00

TIWANAKU, Bolivia (Reuters) - Archeologists have uncovered the 1,300-year-old skeleton of a ruler or priest of the ancient Tiwanaku civilization together with precious jewels inside a much-looted pyramid in western Bolivia. The bones are "in very good condition" and belong to either "a ruler or a priest," Roger Angel Cossio, the Bolivian archeologist who made the discovery, told

The New World's Oldest Calendar

2008-04-28T17:33:00.002-04:00

Research at a 4,200-year-old temple in Peru yields clues to an ancient people who may have clocked the heavensBy Anne BolenThey were excavating at Buena Vista, an ancient settlement in the foothills of the Andes an hour's drive north of Lima, Peru. A dozen archaeology students hauled rocks out of a sunken temple and lobbed them to each other in a human chain. Suddenly, Bernardino Ojeda, a

In Peru, scientists discover the oldest solar observatory in the Americas

2008-04-24T20:21:00.002-04:00

Return of the Sun CultIn Peru, scientists discover the oldest solar observatory in the AmericasBy Eric JaffeAs archaeologists evaluate whether an ancient temple in Buena Vista, Peru, functioned as a calendar, a different research team is preserving the remains of an unusually elaborate astronomical complex just north, in Chankillo. This solar observatory is considered the oldest in the Americas,

Pre-Incan Metallurgy Discovered

2008-04-21T16:07:00.004-04:00

Metals found in lake mud in the central Peruvian Andes have revealed the first evidence for pre-Colonial metalsmithing there.These findings illustrate a way that archaeologists can recreate the past even when looters have destroyed the valuable artifacts that would ordinarily be relied upon to reveal historical secrets. For instance, the new research hints at a tax imposed on local villages by

Ancient "Lost City" Discovered in Peru, Official Claims

2008-04-12T19:27:00.002-04:00

Kelly Hearnfor National Geographic News January 16, 2008 Ruins recently discovered in southern Peru could be the ancient "lost city" of Paititi, according to claims that are drawing serious but cautious response from experts. The presumptive lost city, described in written records as a stone settlement adorned with gold statues, has long

Oldest Gold Artifact in Americas Found

2008-04-11T07:10:00.002-04:00

A necklace of gold and turquoise-colored beads at an ancient hunter-gatherer burial site in the Andes Mountains is the oldest crafted gold artifact known in the Americas and challenges the idea that only complex societies could produce such displays of wealth and prestige.The nine-bead necklace was found at the base of an adult skull in a grave at Jiskairumoko, a primitive hamlet once occupied by

Ancient temple used by Incas discovered

2008-03-19T09:29:00.002-04:00

LIMA, Peru (AP) -- Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of an ancient temple, roadway and irrigation systems at a famed fortress overlooking the Inca capital of Cuzco, according to officials involved with the dig.

Temple built 4,000 years ago unearthed in Peru

2007-11-11T20:47:00.000-05:00

LIMA (Reuters) - A 4,000-year-old temple filled with murals has been unearthed on the northern coast of Peru, making it one of the oldest finds in the Americas, a leading archaeologist said on Saturday.The temple, inside a larger ruin, includes a staircase that leads up to an altar used for fire worship at a site scientists have called Ventarron, said Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva, who led

Mummified Inca maiden wows crowds

2007-10-10T14:45:00.000-04:00

A mummy of an Inca girl, described as "perfect" by the archaeologists who found her in 1999, has gone on display for the first time in Argentina. Hundreds of people crowded into a museum in the north-western city of Salta to see "la Doncella", the Maiden. The remains of the girl, who was 15 when she died, were found in an icy pit on top of a volcano in the Andes, along with a younger boy and

'Cloud warrior' ruin may hold clues to lost civilization

2007-05-25T14:28:00.000-04:00

(Reuters) -- An unusual archeological site discovered in Peru's mountains may hold clues to the history of the Chachapoya people, known as "cloud warriors," who fought the Inca Empire before the Spanish conquest. Keith Muscutt, a British-born Chachapoya researcher with the University of California Santa Cruz, said Wednesday the site was "strikingly anomalous" because of its size, shape and remote

Brazil sees traces of more isolated Amazon tribes

2007-05-25T14:26:00.001-04:00

BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) -- Far more Indian groups than previously thought are surviving in Brazil's Amazon rain forest isolated from the outside world but they risk extermination at the hands of encroaching loggers and miners, experts said on Wednesday.A study by Funai, the government's National Indian Foundation, and seen by Reuters estimates that around 67 Indian groups live in complete

Tombs of Pre-Inca Elite Discovered Under Peru Pyramid

2006-11-30T20:17:00.000-05:00

Kelly Hearn in Buenos Aires, Argentinafor National Geographic NewsNovember 27, 2006A complex of tombs recently discovered under a pyramid in Peru offers landmark clues to a thousand-year-old pre-Incan culture, archaeologists report.Among the findings are meticulously arranged human remains; gold, gilt copper, and bronze artifacts; and the first decorated tumi, or ceremonial knives, ever