In the vast plains of ancient South America, millions of years ago, a menacing shadow loomed over the grasslands. It wasn’t a dinosaur or a mammalian predator, but a colossal bird that dominated the food chain. These creatures, scientifically known as Phorusrhacidae (terror birds), were one of the most formidable groups of predators to have […]
South America
Posted inAge of Exploration
Patagones, the “Three-meter-tall giants” that Magellan Found at the Southern Tip of America
In 2022, the 500th anniversary of the First Circumnavigation of the World was celebrated, the Spanish maritime expedition that allowed for global circumnavigation and opened a route to the Spice Islands as an alternative to the route along the southern tip of Africa, which was monopolized by Portugal. It was a grand adventure in which […]
Posted inArchaeology
Researchers find astronomical alignments in the pre-Inca archaeological site of El Paraíso in Peru
El Paraíso is an important archaeological site from the Late Archaic Period (3500-1800 BCE) located in the Chillón River Valley on the central coast of Peru. Recent investigations have uncovered astronomical alignments in structures associated with this pre-Inca site, suggesting the presence of ancient astronomical and calendrical knowledge. Researchers Robert Benfer, Ivan Šprajc, and others […]
Posted inPre-Columbian Era
Through speed and skill, the Chasquis couriers linked all corners of the Inca Empire
Similar to what happened before with Rome and later with the famous Pony Express in the American Far West, the expansion of the Inca Empire owed much to the development of an extraordinary road network that facilitated communication between different points of Tahuantisuyo and Cuzco with astonishing speed, allowing for prompt action. However, in the […]
Posted inArchaeology
73 Intact Burials with 1000 Year Old Mummies with Masks and “False Heads” Discovered in Peru
Archaeologists in Peru have made an incredible discovery – 73 burial bundles from the Wari Empire period found undisturbed at the archaeological site of Pachacamac, near Lima. The bundles contained mummified remains, some with exquisitely carved wooden masks and ceramic “false heads”. This find provides new insights into the Wari culture and how they prepared […]
Posted inArchaeology
A new type of settlement from the Wari Empire period in Peru discovered by archaeologists
This result was achieved through excavations carried out at the end of 2022 as part of the La Puntilla Archaeological Research Project by a research team from Barcelona Autonomous University. Since 2005, the team has been conducting fieldwork in the El Trigal sites, along the Aja River, on the northern slope of the La Puntilla […]
Posted inArt, History
Fort Samaipata, the largest rupestrian architectural work in the world
Although Machu Picchu attracts mass media attention and world tourism on the Andean area, this one is extraordinarily rich in historical patrimony and abundant archaeological sites can be found distributed by the countries that compose it, from the cañari ruins of Ingapirca (Ecuador) to the great Inca constructions or the Peruvian mochicas huacas, through the […]
