Warren Church excavated Cueva de Manachaqui in the 1980s, uncovering tools dating to 12,000 years ago resembling points from northern Peru and Ecuador. At Muka Rock Shelter, maize and guinea pigs appear by 1500 BCE. Pottery arrives after 400 BCE, and obsidian was sourced from Quispisisa, nearly 800 km away. Incredible continuity over millennia.
Cueva de Manachaqui reveals 12,000 years of human occupation
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📍 Cueva de Manachaqui🌍 Show on the globe
Key facts
- Cueva de Manachaqui was excavated by Warren Church in the 1980s and acted as a way station for travelers over millennia
- Earliest human deposits contain scrapers, burins, and projectile points dated to 12,000 years ago, with similarities to points from northern Peru and Ecuadorian highlands
- Muka Rock Shelter shows deer, rodents, and wild foods (blackberries, amaranth) around 2500 BCE
- Maize, legumes, squashes, and guinea pigs appear around 1500 BCE at Muka
- Pottery began to appear after 400 BCE, with designs resembling northern Cajamarca and highland Cotahuasi styles
- Obsidian at Manachaki was sourced to Quispisisa, nearly 800 km away
- Genetic evidence shows connection between northern Chachapoya and the Amazonian Jivaro people
Sources
docs.google.com
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