November 11, 2018

3000 BCE Elaborate Structures Uncovered in the Atacama Desert, Chile

Archaeologists have uncovered 3000 BCE stone complexes in the Atacama Desert, in Chile, the driest place on earth. They are named Tulan-52 and Tulan-54. These sites show that hunter-gatherers in the region developed complex ceremonial traditions at that very early time period. Tulan-54 is dated to 3000 BCE. Tulan-52 was from 1100 BCE-360 BCE.

Each had a stone complex with several rooms, fire hearths, and grinding instruments for preparing pigments, food and beverages, and for hallucinogens made from cebil and maize.
Nearby, they had a cemetery.

In two of the burials, they also found large gold artifacts: a gold-plated wooden vulture head with green malachite eyes and crest, and an elaborate golden plaque.

The stone complex housed several rooms, in which they found 10 hearths with pits, and 28 richly endowed infant pit-burials.

Just 50 meters away, a cemetery was built.

By 1100 BCE, they domesticated camelids for long distance transport, cultivated plants, used hallucinogens, created pottery, and gold metallurgy.

The Daily Mail has the story here with photos;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6369315/Massive-stone-structures-middle-Atacama-Desert-Chile-used-ceremonial-purposes.html

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