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Ancient Peruvian Site Reveals Marketplace and Accounting Secrets

11/21/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Monte Sierpe, a site in the Pisco Valley of southern Peru with about 5,200 holes, may have been a marketplace for the Chincha Kingdom and later an accounting tool for the Incas.
New drone footage and pollen analysis support this interpretation of the site's dual role.
The holes date back 600 to 700 years and may have facilitated barter using maize and cotton.

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Story summary

Monte Sierpe, a site in the Pisco Valley of southern Peru with about 5,200 holes, may have been a marketplace for the Chincha Kingdom and later an accounting tool for the Incas.
New drone footage and pollen analysis support this interpretation of the site's dual role.
The holes date back 600 to 700 years and may have facilitated barter using maize and cotton.