US EditionDid Seabird Poop Fuel Rise of Chincha in Peru?
Isotope analyses of 35 maize samples show seabird guano increased nitrogen levels, fueling agricultural surplus and socio-economic growth in the Chincha Kingdom, researchers say.
- Chemical analyses of ancient maize show that Jacob Bongers, lead author , found biochemical signatures in 35 maize samples indicating guano fertilisation in the Chincha Valley by at least 1250, according to PLOS One, peer-reviewed journal .
- Between AD 1000 and 1400, the Chincha Kingdom controlled a productive coastal valley near the Chincha Islands, whose guano-rich colonies of Peruvian pelicans, Peruvian boobies, and guanay cormorants sustained local agriculture.
- Using stable isotope analysis, the team measured carbon and nitrogen ratios in 35 maize cobs from 14 cemeteries and analysed collagen from 11 ancient seabird bones to detect guano fertilisation.
- The agricultural surplus supported specialist merchants and artisans, expanding Chincha people's productivity and mercantile influence, which researchers say helped incorporate Chincha into the Inca Empire.
- By reframing wealth as food security rather than only luxury trade, the study argues Chincha art and material culture pairs seabirds with plants, challenging earlier focus on spondylus shells.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Bird Guano May Have Helped Fuel Rise of Peru's Chincha Kingdom - Archaeology Magazine
CHINCHA VALLEY, PERU—According to a statement released by the University of Sydney, seabird guano may have been a major factor in the rise of Peru’s precolonial Chincha Kingdom, a powerful coastal polity that reached an estimated 100,000 people. Yet archaeologists have often wondered how they were able to support a population that large, since they inhabited one of the driest regions on earth. However, analysis of 35 maize samples recovered from…
In the Peruvian desert it is difficult to grow grain. The Chincha nevertheless managed centuries ago. Their trick even gave them good relations with the powerful Inca.
The Independent
The Independent (US)How bird poo fuelled the rise of a powerful ancient kingdom
Guano was a potential source of power and influence
Bird Droppings Powered the Rise of this Little-Known Coastal Kingdom, Archaeologists Find
New archaeological evidence reveals that seabird guano—nutrient-rich bird droppings—may have the driver of behind the prosperity of the most influential pre‑Incan societies. In ancient Andean cultures, fertilizer was power, said archaeologist Dr. Jacob Bongers, whose findings highlight the unexpectedly powerful role bird droppings played in shaping ancient societies in the Andes. Farming on Peru’s coast is […] The post Bird Droppings Powered the…
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