Overview
- The peer-reviewed study, published November 10 in Antiquity, interprets Monte Sierpe as a pre-Inca Chincha barter venue later repurposed by the Inca for tribute accounting.
- High-resolution drone imagery shows roughly 5,200 holes organized into about 60 segments with repeating numerical patterns comparable to local Inca khipus, a hypothesis the authors label tentative.
- Sediment analyses from selected pits detected maize and plants used for basket-making, consistent with goods deposited in woven containers.
- A radiocarbon date of about 1320–1405 CE from pit charcoal aligns with Chincha-period activity, and the site’s position between Tambo Colorado and Lima La Vieja near pre-Hispanic road junctions supports a trade and redistribution role.
- Researchers plan additional sampling, more radiocarbon dates, and comparative khipu studies to test the ‘landscape khipu’ reading and refine the site’s chronology and function.