A team of archaeologists from the University of Houston has unearthed in the ruins of Caracol, the ancient Maya metropolis located in Belize, the tomb of Te K’ab Chaak, the first ruler of this city and founder of its royal dynasty. This discovery, the first of an identifiable ruler in more than four decades of […]
Pre-Columbian Era
The Pre-Columbian era refers to the time period in the Americas before significant European influence, specifically before Christopher Columbus’ arrival in 1492. It encompasses indigenous cultures and civilizations from around 15,000 BCE up until the early 16th century CE.
Posted inArchaeology, Pre-Columbian Era
Ancient Temple of the Lost Tiwanaku Civilization, Precursor to the Inca Empire, Discovered in Bolivia
On the southern shores of Lake Titicaca in present-day Bolivia, more than a thousand years ago, one of the most powerful and enigmatic civilizations of the Andes developed: the Tiwanaku. Considered by archaeologists to be one of the first complex societies in the region and a precursor to the Inca Empire, its sudden collapse around […]
Posted inArchaeology, Pre-Columbian Era
Large Buried Urns Filled with Human Bones and Fish Remains Found in the Amazon
Seven ceramic funerary urns, two of them large in size, were found beneath the roots of a fallen tree in a várzea area (flooded land) of Lago do Cochila in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. Lago do Cochila is part of a group of artificial islands built by Indigenous communities centuries or even millennia ago, […]
Posted inPre-Columbian Era
Chicomóztoc, the mythical place of origin of the Nahua peoples of central Mexico
There is one thing that Postclassic period peoples of central Mesoamerica had in common, such as the Mexicas, Tlaxcaltecs, Tepanecs, Xochimilcas, Acolhuas, Tlahuicas, and Chalcas: they all belonged to the Nahuatl culture and spoke that language, which is why they are known as the seven Nahuatl-speaking tribes. That is, they historically came from the same […]
Posted inPre-Columbian Era, Science
Lack of Immigrants Led to Collapse of Maya Civilization, Ancient Genome Analysis Reveals
An international team of researchers sequenced the genomes of seven individuals who lived in the ancient Maya city of Copán, in present-day Honduras, during the Classic period (250–950 CE). The study, published in the journal Current Biology, reveals the demographic decline that coincided with the collapse of the Maya civilization 1,200 years ago. Copán was […]
Posted inArchaeology, Pre-Columbian Era
An Unprecedented Discovery in Peru Reveals Over 100 Archaeological Structures of the Chachapoya Civilization
The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has announced the discovery of more than a hundred previously unknown archaeological structures in Gran Pajatén, one of the most prominent and mysterious complexes of the Chachapoya civilization, located in the Río Abiseo National Park in the San Martín region of Peru. These findings add to the 26 structures discovered […]
Posted inArchaeology, Pre-Columbian Era
Mysterious Large Fire Pits Studied in the Great Ceremonial City Believed to Be the Place of Origin of Aztecs
La Quemada is the archaeological site of an ancient city located in the state of Zacatecas in central present-day Mexico, which, unlike other great cities such as Teotihuacan, was built on the slopes of a hill, spreading across terraces, pyramids, and plazas connected by roads and stairways. The name La Quemada was given by the […]
Posted inArchaeology, Pre-Columbian Era
Obsidian Artifacts Found at the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan Came from Enemy Territory
Archaeologists from Tulane University and the Templo Mayor Project of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have studied the circulation and use patterns of obsidian in the center of the Mexica world by analyzing nearly 800 artifacts made of this material found at the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan, the main Aztec temple. The […]
Posted inArchaeology, Pre-Columbian Era
Secret Room with Tubes Revealing Ritual Use of Hallucinogens to Govern More than 2000 Years Ago Found in Peru
Two thousand years before the Inca Empire extended its dominion over the Andes, a much less known yet culturally influential society—known as the Chavín Phenomenon—had already developed numerous artistic expressions, built monumental architectural structures, and created shared material practices throughout what is now Peruvian territory. This early civilization established a particular social order through agricultural […]
Posted inArchaeology, Pre-Columbian Era
Maya Tattoo Tools Discovered for the First Time
Archaeologists from universities in the United States and Denmark found, deep within the Actun Uayazba Kab cave in Belize, two small stone tools dated between 250 and 900 AD that could be the first Maya tattoo instruments ever discovered. The pieces are made of obsidian and have an elongated shape with a sharp tip. Researchers […]
