A new international study reinterprets the Band of Holes at Monte Sierpe in southern Peru as a large Indigenous accounting system. The site is a 1.5-kilometer line of more than 5,200 evenly spaced pits. Each pit is about one to two meters wide and up to a meter deep. The feature first gained attention after National Geographic published aerial photographs in 1933.
Researchers, including Charles Stanish of the University of South Florida and lead author Jacob Bongers of the University of Sydney, used microbotanical sediment analysis and high-resolution drone images. They found traces of maize and wild plants used for weaving and packaging, and they saw segmented, mathematically structured rows that resemble khipus, the Inca knotted-string counting devices.
The team proposes Monte Sierpe served as a monumental accounting system tied to Inca tribute or regional trade. The site sits between two known Inca administrative centers and near pre-Hispanic roads in a zone where highland and coastal groups met to trade. The researchers plan further study of the plants found in the pits.
Difficult words
- archaeological — Related to the study of ancient cultures.
- marketplace — A place where goods are bought and sold.
- significance — Importance or meaning of something.
- evidence — Information that supports an idea or claim.
- traditions — Practices or customs passed down through generations.
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Discussion questions
- Why is it important to study Indigenous histories?
- How can archaeological sites influence our understanding of cultures?
- What methods might be used to uncover more about the past?
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