Read More: A 551-million-year-old site is forcing us to rewrite our understanding of an early mass extinction, and the loss of life may have been much greater than previously thought<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nDr. Jacob Bongers, lead author of the study and a digital archaeologist at the University of Sydney<\/a>, said the design appears intentional rather than decorative. \u201cWhy would ancient peoples dig more than 5,000 holes into the foothills of southern Peru?\u201d he asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe don\u2019t yet have all the answers, but we now have promising new data that support innovative theories about how the site was used.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clues in the soil<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The team also analyzed sediment from inside the holes. What they found changed the conversation. Ancient pollen and plant remains included maize, a staple crop in the Andes, along with bulrush reeds traditionally used in basketry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They also identified traces of squash, amaranth, cotton, chili peppers, and other crops that are not grown on the dry hillside where Monte Sierpe sits today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of these plants produce little airborne pollen, which makes it unlikely that the material drifted into the pits naturally. Instead, the researchers argue that people likely transported goods to the site and placed them inside the holes, possibly using woven baskets or bundles made from plant fibers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other words, these pits may once have held real products. Food. Fibers. Trade goods. Imagine rows of filled holes visible from a distance, each one representing a quantity of something valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Aerial](\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/monte-sierpe-peru-band-of-holes-aerial-view-ancient-trade.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Drone view of the Band of Holes in Peru, where thousands of pits may have served as a pre-Inca system for trade and accounting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nA marketplace without money<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Radiocarbon dating places active use of the site in the 14th century, during the Late Intermediate Period. At that time, the Chincha Kingdom dominated the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Historical records describe the Chincha as skilled merchants who operated trade networks along the coast and inland long before the rise of the Inca Empire<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMonte Sierpe sits at a strategic crossroads between ecological zones and major pre-Hispanic roads. That location would have made it an ideal meeting point for exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\nRead More: Lightning has been detected on Mars for the first time, and the Perseverance rover has captured something that seemed impossible<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nBongers suggests the site may have functioned like a pre-Inca open-air market. \u201cPerhaps it was a pre-Inca marketplace,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know the pre-Hispanic population in this region was around 100,000 people. Mobile traders, farmers, fishers, and other specialists may have gathered there to exchange local goods like maize and cotton.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In practical terms, the holes may have acted as visible markers of equivalence. In a society without coinage, how do you keep track of value? You make quantities visible and negotiable. A row of filled pits could signal supply at a glance, much like seeing stacked produce at a farmers\u2019 market today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Echoes of Inca accounting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The researchers also noticed a striking resemblance between the layout of Monte Sierpe and at least one Inca khipu found in the same valley. A khipu was a knotted-string device used by the Inca for detailed record-keeping, including census data and tribute payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The segmented, numerical structure of the holes resembles the grouped cords of some khipus. That similarity raises a provocative question. Could Monte Sierpe be a kind of \u201clandscape khipu,\u201d an accounting system scaled up into earth and stone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is an extraordinary discovery that expands our understanding of the origins and diversity of Indigenous accounting practices within and beyond the Andes,\u201d Bongers said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\nRead More: Astronomers are holding their breath: one of the most massive stars in the universe has entered a strange and unstable phase, and no one knows what might happen next<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nWhen the Inca incorporated the Chincha Kingdom in the 15th century, they relied heavily on accounting systems to manage labor and tribute. The Inca labor tax, known as the mit\u2019a, required communities to contribute work or goods to the state. A preexisting infrastructure like Monte Sierpe may have been repurposed to track such obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The holes, the researchers argue, were not silos in the modern sense. They were more likely markers. Units of count. A way to make economic relationships tangible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From mystery to evidence-based explanation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Monte Sierpe first gained widespread attention in 1933, when aerial photographs published in National Geographic<\/em><\/a> sparked curiosity. Over time, theories about its purpose ranged from defense and water collection to fog harvesting and gardening.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSome even drifted into pseudo-archaeological speculation. But the new study brings the focus back to human behavior and economic organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are still many questions,\u201d Bongers acknowledged. \u201cWhy is this monument found only here and not across the Andes? Was Monte Sierpe truly a kind of landscape khipu? We are getting closer to understanding this mysterious site.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is clear is that the Band of Holes reflects a sophisticated way of structuring space and social interaction. Rather than an enigma carved into stone, it may represent a practical technology that brought communities together to trade, negotiate, and later, to account for tribute. Sometimes the simplest explanation is also the most revealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The study was published in Antiquity<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For nearly a century, a strange band of thousands of holes carved into a Peruvian hillside has puzzled archaeologists. Stretching … <\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t yet have all the answers, but we now have promising new data that support innovative theories about how the site was used.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clues in the soil<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The team also analyzed sediment from inside the holes. What they found changed the conversation. Ancient pollen and plant remains included maize, a staple crop in the Andes, along with bulrush reeds traditionally used in basketry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They also identified traces of squash, amaranth, cotton, chili peppers, and other crops that are not grown on the dry hillside where Monte Sierpe sits today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of these plants produce little airborne pollen, which makes it unlikely that the material drifted into the pits naturally. Instead, the researchers argue that people likely transported goods to the site and placed them inside the holes, possibly using woven baskets or bundles made from plant fibers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other words, these pits may once have held real products. Food. Fibers. Trade goods. Imagine rows of filled holes visible from a distance, each one representing a quantity of something valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Radiocarbon dating places active use of the site in the 14th century, during the Late Intermediate Period. At that time, the Chincha Kingdom dominated the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Historical records describe the Chincha as skilled merchants who operated trade networks along the coast and inland long before the rise of the Inca Empire<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monte Sierpe sits at a strategic crossroads between ecological zones and major pre-Hispanic roads. That location would have made it an ideal meeting point for exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bongers suggests the site may have functioned like a pre-Inca open-air market. \u201cPerhaps it was a pre-Inca marketplace,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know the pre-Hispanic population in this region was around 100,000 people. Mobile traders, farmers, fishers, and other specialists may have gathered there to exchange local goods like maize and cotton.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In practical terms, the holes may have acted as visible markers of equivalence. In a society without coinage, how do you keep track of value? You make quantities visible and negotiable. A row of filled pits could signal supply at a glance, much like seeing stacked produce at a farmers\u2019 market today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The researchers also noticed a striking resemblance between the layout of Monte Sierpe and at least one Inca khipu found in the same valley. A khipu was a knotted-string device used by the Inca for detailed record-keeping, including census data and tribute payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The segmented, numerical structure of the holes resembles the grouped cords of some khipus. That similarity raises a provocative question. Could Monte Sierpe be a kind of \u201clandscape khipu,\u201d an accounting system scaled up into earth and stone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is an extraordinary discovery that expands our understanding of the origins and diversity of Indigenous accounting practices within and beyond the Andes,\u201d Bongers said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the Inca incorporated the Chincha Kingdom in the 15th century, they relied heavily on accounting systems to manage labor and tribute. The Inca labor tax, known as the mit\u2019a, required communities to contribute work or goods to the state. A preexisting infrastructure like Monte Sierpe may have been repurposed to track such obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The holes, the researchers argue, were not silos in the modern sense. They were more likely markers. Units of count. A way to make economic relationships tangible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monte Sierpe first gained widespread attention in 1933, when aerial photographs published in National Geographic<\/em><\/a> sparked curiosity. Over time, theories about its purpose ranged from defense and water collection to fog harvesting and gardening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some even drifted into pseudo-archaeological speculation. But the new study brings the focus back to human behavior and economic organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are still many questions,\u201d Bongers acknowledged. \u201cWhy is this monument found only here and not across the Andes? Was Monte Sierpe truly a kind of landscape khipu? We are getting closer to understanding this mysterious site.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is clear is that the Band of Holes reflects a sophisticated way of structuring space and social interaction. Rather than an enigma carved into stone, it may represent a practical technology that brought communities together to trade, negotiate, and later, to account for tribute. Sometimes the simplest explanation is also the most revealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study was published in Antiquity<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For nearly a century, a strange band of thousands of holes carved into a Peruvian hillside has puzzled archaeologists. Stretching … <\/p>\nA marketplace without money<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Read More: Lightning has been detected on Mars for the first time, and the Perseverance rover has captured something that seemed impossible<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Echoes of Inca accounting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Read More: Astronomers are holding their breath: one of the most massive stars in the universe has entered a strange and unstable phase, and no one knows what might happen next<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
From mystery to evidence-based explanation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n