18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A pre-Hispanic ceremonial center with unknown characteristics was discovered in the Andes

While investigating at Waskiri, near the Lauca River and the Bolivian-Chilean border, archaeologists found an impressive circular construction on a small hill at the site.

The Waskiri structure, which surprised researchers with its large dimensions and design, is a pre-Hispanic ceremonial center with unknown features in the Andes, according to the researchers.

The study authors say the “surprising” construction is unlike any other ever found in the Andes.

Although Waskiri has never been mentioned in the archaeological record, a priest from Spain named Bartolomé Alvarez, who visited Carangas in the 1580s, does seem to have made a reference to it.

Describing the rituals that took place at the site, Álvarez wrote of attendees in a state of “solemn drunkenness” entering what he called the “house and business of hell.

Photograph and site plan of Waskiri. Photo: P. Cruz
Photograph and site plan of Waskiri. Photo: P. Cruz

“He also received information about the existence of a ‘large circular building’ in which the region’s main Indigenous authorities, curacas, and caciques, met to perform ceremonies for the Sun during the month of June—the Inti Raymi, one of the most important annual Incan ceremonies also described by Guaman Poma as well as for other religious celebrations,” the scientists write in their study.

Inti Raymi is Inca’s Sun Festival traditionally celebrated at Cuzco on June 24, which marks the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year.

Researchers identified 135 hilltop sites in the study that were published in the journal Antiquity. These sites are connected to agricultural production areas by a variable number of concentric walls on terraces.

Located near the Chilean border, Waskiri is described as “an impressive circular construction” that features a perimeter ring comprising 39 adjoining enclosures, each with a surface area between 106 and 144m2. These enclose a plaza of approximately 1ha, which is scattered with abundant ceramic fragments ascribed to the Late Intermediate and Late Periods.

Top view from Waskiri, showing the silhouettes of the main sacred mountains of the region; bottom) distribution of sacred sites around Waskiri. İmage: P. Cruz
Top view from Waskiri, showing the silhouettes of the main sacred mountains of the region; bottom) distribution of sacred sites around Waskiri. İmage: P. Cruz

The researchers estimate that the structure was in use between 1250 and 1600 CE based on these artifacts.

The perimeter walls’ possible resemblance to the Inca ceque system has led archaeologists to hypothesize that the Incas replicated Cuzco’s symbolic architecture in the areas they colonized.

The principal sacred mountains, numerous walled circular structures, and burial towers with Incan textile-inspired patterns are all visually and spatially associated with the site.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.44

Antiquity

Related Articles

Sacred Seduction: Kamasutra Feminism and the Legacy of Ancient Erotic Temples

8 April 2025

8 April 2025

For many, the Kamasutra is merely a name linked to condom brands and erotic chocolates, often dismissed as just a...

Treasure hunters revealed a 2,700-year-old Urartian temple In the east of Turkey

18 June 2022

18 June 2022

Treasure hunters revealed a 2,700-year-old Urartian temple A group of treasure hunters, who were digging illegally to find treasure in...

New discoveries at the Sanxingdui Ruins demonstrate ancient China’s creative ability

9 September 2021

9 September 2021

Chinese archaeologists revealed fresh important finds at the Sanxingdui Ruins site in southwest China’s Sichuan Province on Thursday, from pits...

Lead Glass Jewelry was Mass-Produced in Medieval Poland from Local Raw Material

7 April 2025

7 April 2025

Recent archaeological research has unveiled significant insights into the mass production of lead glass jewelry in medieval Poland, confirming that...

Evidence of Brain Surgery performed 3,000 years ago discovered in the ancient city of Tel Megiddo

27 February 2023

27 February 2023

Researchers have discovered a rare instance of delicate cranial surgery, possibly the earliest of its kind in the Middle East,...

Skeleton Of “Spanish Monk” in Palace of Cortés Turns Out To Be An Aztec Woman

26 January 2024

26 January 2024

Recent research at the Palace of Cortés in Cuernavaca, Mexico, has revealed a grave historical error. For 50 years, it...

The Ramesseum’s ‘House of Life’ Reveals Ancient Egypt’s Educational Secrets!

6 April 2025

6 April 2025

A recent archaeological mission has unveiled groundbreaking findings at the Ramesseum, the grand mortuary temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II, located...

Famous  Roman Dictator Julius Caesar’s Perfume Recreated

2 August 2024

2 August 2024

The Romans are long regarded as heroes in the history of ancient civilizations because of the legacy they have left...

9 Relics of Neanderthal Found in The Guattari Cave

8 May 2021

8 May 2021

Archaeologists in Italy have discovered the remains of nine Neanderthals who were reportedly killed and mauled by hyenas in their...

The ancient city of Karkamış “House of the Seal” brings a different perspective to the Hittite-Assyrian relations with its important finds

6 May 2022

6 May 2022

Historical artifacts discovered during excavations by Turkish and Italian teams in the ancient city of Karkamış (Carchemish) in southern Gaziantep...

Neanderthals too may have Developed a System of Numerical Notation

2 June 2021

2 June 2021

People developed numbers tens of thousands of years ago, according to archeological findings. Scholars are now investigating the first comprehensive...

Mythical Viking stronghold Jomsborg could be on Hangman’s Hill near Wolin, archaeologist say

14 July 2023

14 July 2023

A new hypothesis about the location of the mythical Viking stronghold on Hangman’s Hill near Wolin (West Pomerania) has been...

Surprisingly High-Altitude Silk Road Cities Discovered in Uzbek Mountains

25 October 2024

25 October 2024

Archaeologists have discovered two lost medieval cities in the eastern mountains of Uzbekistan that were important hubs on the ancient...

Tang-e Chogan bas-relief carvings, Majestic treasures of Sassanid art, are under threat of destruction 

9 March 2022

9 March 2022

Treasures of Sassanid art, some of Tang-e Chogan’s bas-reliefs are under threat of complete destruction due to lack of maintenance...

A 500-year-old mural linked to an Aztec god was found under layers of paint in Mexican Church

15 October 2022

15 October 2022

A mural of an Aztec rabbit God of alcohol is not something anyone expects to see inside a church, but...