US EditionCenturies Before the Inca, Peru's Wealthy Imported Parrots From Afar
Analysis of 1,000-year-old feathers reveals Ychsma traded Amazonian macaw feathers over 300 miles across the Andes, predating Inca trade networks by centuries.
6 Articles
6 Articles
The vibrant plumes of Amazonian macaws, used in funeral ornaments on the pre-Hispanic Peruvian coast, traveled hundreds of kilometres through the Andes long before the rise of the Inca Empire. A study published in Nature Communications reconstructed that journey by ancient DNA, isotopic analysis and spatial modelling, revealing the existence of complex commercial networks between the Amazonia and the Andes during the pre-Inca period. The researc…
A recent study of ancient DNA, in which the University of Zaragoza has participated, has revealed that several Amazonian parrots were transported alive through the Andes mountain range to the coast of Peru centuries before the emergence of the Inca Empire. This finding provides new evidence of the complexity of commercial networks that existed in pre-Hispanic South America and shows that ancient societies maintained long-distance connections muc…
Parrot Feathers Found in Peruvian Tomb Identified - Archaeology Magazine
Ancient feathers found in the tomb LIMA, PERU—Live Science reports that analysis of feathers discovered in a 1,000-year-old Yschma tomb in coastal Peru near the temple of Pachacamac indicates that they came from scarlet macaws (Ara macao), red-and-green macaws (Ara chloropterus), blue-and-yellow macaws (Ara ararauna), and mealy Amazons (Amazona farinosa), all of which live in lowland tropical forests to the east, more than 300 miles away across …
The dazzling feathers of Amazonian parrots occupied a central place in the prehispanic societies of the Andes. They were used to display prestige, power and social status during ceremonies or burials. Yet, these birds naturally live in tropical forests located east of the Andes Cordillera, several hundred kilometres from the coastal regions of Peru. An international study published in 2026 in Nature Communications today brings direct evidence of…
By analyzing parrot feathers exhumed from graves of the pre-inca period of Ychsma culture, archaeologists discovered that they were transported alive through the Andes from the Amazon to the ancient Peru. Used by Peruvian elites as markers of social status, these feathers would have been collected on wild birds and suggest the existence of an important and complex commercial network prior to the Inca empire. The bright coloured feathers of Amazo…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
