CNN never stops lying or running with false narratives. CNN claims that an archaeological site in Osorno, Chile, where a footprint has been dated at around 15,000 years, is the oldest evidence of man in the Americas.The problem is the headline. “Scientists in Chile have found a 15,000-year-old footprint, the earliest sign of humans’ presence in the Americas”.
Hello CNN! Monte Verde is older by at least 1,500 years and 3,500 years at the calibrated dates. It’s all about them ratings though.
I was actually left dumbfounded that someone in this position could ignore or forget which site is oldest, so I reached out to the archaeologist who discovered the footprint to clarify.
Karen Moreno works over the site in Pilauco, not too far from Monte Verde. Here’s her response in Academia.
Turns out, its the authors running this narrative, slandering the archaeologists. First it was Yuan Ren For Mailonline (see article) who had no response and then Ryan Prior for CNN.
CNN is pretty pathetic to begin, with so no surprise here.
Many archaeologists including Karen Moreno and even colleagues of the head honcho over Monte Verde,Tim Dillehay, claim dates much older than what these articles are suggesting. If you wash, rinse and repeat lies, eventually people start to believe it’s true.
The 33,200 date may sound far fetched but it’s possible,however it’s also possible that lightning hit a tree 33,200 years ago as well.
On a final note,Wikipedia screenshots probably isn’t the best choice of imagery and most humans(not all) are dumb.
A lot of my recent articles have been on the topic of cupules because the subject is compelling.
The reasoning behind the perseverance of the people who made them is mind-boggling to many but simple if we think in terms them being a utilitarian necessity.My quest to gain an understanding of how something that seems so strange could be practiced around the world literally keeps me awake at night. Cupules are rarely found vertically on a the side of a mountain face. At a site in the foothills of Sierra de Juarez, N. Baja California by the culture known as the Paipai, a name that has been associated with the Hokan phylum, but are likely more intertwined with the Yuman. The Paipai are the most recent group that may have used the site, possibly for several purposes. These cupules like many others found around the world were likely refurbished by different cultures and could be anywhere from 14,000-500 years old. These man-made holes are just a little bit different because they are on the side of the mountain, unlike most cupules, which are typically seen on the ground.
A little background on Cupules
Often found around petroglyphs, their purpose hasn’t really perplexed archaeologists since their discovery. The effort to make cupules is astonishing.Copper self sharpens with sand and bamboo with sand can be effective as well. If you want to know more about the process behind making a cupule,checkout other articles within Ancient American Explorer Magazine. In United States they are often called “hominy holes” and were used to grind corn and acorns.Evidence found at similar sites suggests that these holes were made for a ceremonial purpose, while also being used by various cultures for grinding nuts and seeds. They were also used as astronomical markers and in South America they are known as “little tea cup stones” or “Piedras Tacitas”, as they were used to grind plants into a hallucinogenic tea. Below are some examples of cupules found in South America.
Argentina Chile
Now let’s take a look back at the cupules found in Baja California and compare them with those in Chile.
Baja California Chile
Very similar in technique and perhaps made in the same manner. The holes appear to be smooth inside ,which is a constant feature in most of these sites. As I mentioned earlier, the holes were likely used for different purposes. What is a little different than what normally see with cupules is that the ones found in Baja California were supposedly used for poles, likely to support a structure.The holes found on the vertical face could have been used to support some short of scaffolding, in an effort to apply effective pressure while creating them. They could have used harder cylindrical shaped river stones to grind the holes, or they could have used bamboo drills to slowly etch out the cylinders.
Let’s take a look at the vertical holes below.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSH HANSON IN BAJA CALIFORNIA
There appears to be an incline, an incline to where a person could position themselves to grind and shape the cupules. Notice the open area which would have been similar to an amphitheater, where indigenous groups would have met and had reverent spiritual ceremonies, a time when there was no smog, only clear skies. To the ancients it was a portal to the cosmos. The night sky would have been the equivalent to modern day families gathering around the television as a form of entertainment, a serious form of entertainment, that had consequences ,such as war with neighboring tribes, famine, or drought. Understanding exactly how each culture used these cupules and for what purpose is key to defining their true meaning .
The initial culture who created these vertical cupules probably didn’t use them for mixing hallucinogenic plants or grinding nuts, due to the angle of their location. It would be interesting to compare the coordinates of the holes to that of astronomical fixtures. Some of the holes in the photo above could have been existing natural vugs and could have inspired others to do the same,but for what reason? The techniques used to make these hole is extremely difficult to replicate. To the ancients it was probably easy, as making cupules was part of a daily or weekly routine. The technology becomes lost and seems to disappear in South America around the arrival of the Inca and the Spanish around the sixteenth century. In North America it may have been even practiced up until the 19th century.
The big question here is why? Why did these ancient groups spend so much time grinding and drilling holes into nearly impossible to penetrate stones? Furthermore, why in the hell are these cupules found in Northern Baja California on the side of a mountain? A logical explanation could be that there were simply so many indigenous people. These utilitarian holes could have worked and reused for centuries. It wasn’t like they had a goal to get to the bottom. Rocks may have been used in one culture where copper or bamboo could have been used in another. It is remarkable to think of how far spread this technology actually stretched. When they wore the holes so deep they became useless for culinary purposes. Most indigenous cultures have an innate ability to utilize every natural object to its fullest extent, unlike the modern careless humans that inhabit the earth today.
If anyone has seen or heard of more vertical cupules or any cupules ,let us know! The only other location I have seen where the holes are vertical is a small site near the Atacama desert in Chile called Choapa. There’s a few stones here like the one in the photo below with vertical cupules.
CHOAPA, CHILE
The similar patterns like the one above resemble Orion’s belt and are found in other places throughout Chile.
Valle Del Encanto, Chile
Photos Courtesy of Josh Hanson of cuplules in Baja California
Did this drilling technology spread from North to South America or was it the opposite? Recent 14,500 year old footprints found in Southern Chile and sites such as Monte Verde, Fells, Cave (with obsolete fishtail points) and cupule technology abundantly scattered throughout the country make a good argument.The truth is that Andeanology is fairly a new area of study that is gaining popularity by its anomalies and discoveries being unearthed that pertain to early migrations into the Americas. A timeline on cupule technologies in the Americas would certainly help with confirming or denying the simultaneous seafaring migration theories that tend to throw a monkey wrench into the dig, where many archaeologists will normally stake their reputation on the opposite.
Whether cupules are on mountain faces , or on the ground, they continue to amaze me. The dedication and transfer of technologies is intriguing and deserves more funding for research. Archaeological Databases must merge throughout the Americas and throughout the world to compare and contrast data, to discover their true purpose. The idea that indigenous people were using this same technology on separate continents, simultaneously is amazing. Did this practice begin in North America or near the Southern Cone in Patagonia?
In the Central Region, South of Santiago, Chile lies the remnants and ruins of fortresses that are spread throughout mountainous valleys. They were the last efforts of the Inca to stretch their control further down across the continent.The structures that are most known in Chile and also equally obscure are Pukara al sur de Melipilla, Pukara de la Muralla, and Pukara la Compania, however there are at least 17 documented Inca pukaras within Chile. “Pukara” is a word from the Quechua language that means “fortress”. In Ecuador pukaras are more abundant, in fact there are 136 in the country of Ecuador and an average of 8 in other countries going south that were occupied by the Inca. Likely these areas in Ecuador met the most conflicts from neighboring groups and were a necessity to contain any threats.
Aymara and Quechua root words have been traced all the way to the mythological island of Chiloe, Chile. That’s pretty impressive. The Inca were just everywhere and their presence had to be known. Having a dominant language, while bringing funeral processions from newly conquered areas, to already established Inca cities, manipulated and corralled indigenous groups right into the hands of the Inca.
If you truly fancy Andeanology then you must check out the YouTube page “Altacumbre“. There you can find hidden gems related to the Inca all throughout the continent. They have some very interesting footage on very obscure sites relating to the Inca presence in Chile. If you are too lazy to leave this site,I have a few of their videos below.
Now, let’s discuss the last effort by the Inca to establish control over the indigenous groups around the Valparaíso region in Chile.Their ambition was impressive as they sometimes would gently slide into control over groups like the Diaguitas. Some groups resisted the authority and would migrate south, spreading stories of Inca taxes and hydraulic societies governed by elite land hungry politicians and kings.Others conformed to the Mitma System, which forced them into slave labor or some sort of indentured servant. This likely lead to the fortifications built and maintained by groups like the Diaguita. Resistance by the Mapuche and obviously the arrival of the Spanish put a halt to any further expansion of The Inca Empire going South. The Mapuche were the fierce resistors to the Inca and even more violent with the Spanish.
Mapuche pottery shards found in Valdivia are heavily influenced by Inca,militarily the Mapuche and the Inca were similar in terms of armor and fighting formations. Who influenced who? It was likely the Mapuche who were influenced by the Inca and the Spanishas well, as Iron was introduced to them, which led to a game changer. Iron, coupled with intelligent military practices along with a knowledge of the local lands ultimately gave the Mapuche the upper hand.It worked, as they are still a force to be reckoned with for the Chilean government.
The integrity of Inca architecture, their dominant control and superb public administration characteristics did have advantages over enemies like the Mapuche and make it all too difficult to imagine that all of this happened in a span of less than 200 years;however the Inca couldn’t ever get past the Maule River.The Southern most pukara, and likely at least one of the last, was Pukara Del Cerro La Muralla but was it the last? In my opinion the Inca, and in this case likely Diaguitas and the Promaucae under Mitma would have retreated to the valleys and perhaps joined other garrisons to the north. The Inca would have probably tried several times to expand further south,where the Mapuche drew a line just north of the Maule River near Talca. I’m not an expert on anything and surely not one on Inca and Mapuche conflicts. Eduardo Augustin Cruz who wrote:
Kingdom Of Chile , and can give you a better explanation.Most of this book takes place after the demise of the Inca but it is a fantastic read.
Some of these sites can become confusing without careful examination of the strata as initially they appear much like makeshift corrals that are still used by farmers in rural areas today. I have stumbled on a few of these structures myself, here’s one below.Same look, same technique but farmer Paco built it last Spring near Quillota, which by coincidence is also the ancient capital of Qullasuyu. Expect more things to be revealed in this area as there are many artifacts patiently waiting to be uncovered in the countless valleys of the Andes.
Some of the verified pukaras seem to look less like a fortification and more like a stumpy watch tower. The hills they are usually built on gave them a great view and were strategically placed, just like Machu Picchu. except they are pretty crude and rudimentary.
Pukara De La Compania, Chile
I think as technology only continues to get better, more and more evidence will pile up, in the same way with what is happening with pre-Clovis sites popping up everywhere in the Americas. As petroglyphs ,cupules ; pottery shards, llama fetuses; textiles,sacrificed children; and Jesuit memoirs continue turn up along with whatever other artifacts are plowed up from a Chilean vineyard; more attention must be placed in the valleys and cloud forests,to connect more dots about these highly advanced ancient civilizations.The integrity of Inca architecture, their dominant control and superb administration make it hard to imagine that all of this took place in a span of less than 200 years.
