8 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A woman was buried in a canoe on her way to the ‘destination of souls’ 800 years ago

According to new research, Up to 800 years ago, mourners buried a young woman in a ceremonial canoe to represent her final journey to the land of the dead in what is now Patagonia.

According to the study’s authors, the discovery disproves the theory that canoe burials may have been used only after Spanish colonization and supports ethnographic and historical evidence that they were practiced throughout pre-Hispanic South America.

The first evidence of such burial to be found in Argentinian Patagonia. In their paper published on the open-access site, PLOS ONE, the group describes their study of the remains.

The remains were found at a dig site called Newen Antug, which is close to Lake Lacár in the western part of Argentina.

Detail of the disposition of the body of individual 3 and its association with remains of wood, freshwater mollusks, red pigments and painted pottery. Photo: PLOS ONE (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272833
Detail of the disposition of the body of individual 3 and its association with remains of wood, freshwater mollusks, red pigments and painted pottery. Photo: PLOS ONE (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272833

Wooden canoes of the time, known as wampo, were hollowed out using fire. In Mapuche society, a wooden wampo or small canoe or a symbolic representation of someone was available for the journey to the final abode of the dead beyond a body of water to be crossed in a boat.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



The woman was between the ages of 17 and 25 at the time of her death, according to analysis, but the cause of death could not be determined. They also discovered a jug placed close to her head and nearly 600 pieces of wood from a single Chilean cedar tree surrounding her. there were also signs that the wood had been charred. Testing of the woman’s bone fragments showed she was from approximately 1142 AD, which means she was likely a member of the Mapuche culture and that she lived and died before the Spanish arrived.

Mapuche burial, c. 1900 (in Chapanoff 2020: 14). The photograph shows a funeral ritual with a wampo beside the rewe. Photo: PLOS ONE (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272833

The discovery is a truly uncommon one because most canoe burials were for men, and it is the first time a canoe-type burial has been seen in Argentinean Patagonia. The researchers contend that their discovery raises the possibility that the practice was more common than previously believed.

The jug found next to her head was clearly placed there by whoever was in charge of her burial, and there were also signs that she had been laid on a bed of freshwater clams, according to the researchers. Her position also strongly suggested that she had been laid in a canoe as a kind of coffin before being buried.

Previous research has suggested that burying people in canoes was part of a ritual to allow the deceased to make a final journey across mystical waters to another land known as Nomelafken, where they would reside in a place known as the “destination of souls.”

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272833

Related Articles

Rare Hittite bracelet, 3300 years old, found by a farmer

28 March 2022

28 March 2022

A farmer in Turkey’s Çorum province discovered a rare 3,300-year-old ancient bracelet from the Hittite era while plowing his farm....

A 3,600-Year-Old Bronze Minoan Dagger Discovered in Antalya Underwater Excavation

29 August 2024

29 August 2024

A bronze dagger with silver rivets that dates to the Minoan civilization approximately 3,600 years ago was discovered during an...

Dominican mission discovers 1,305-meter Greco-Roman ancient rock-cut tunnel in Alexandria

4 November 2022

4 November 2022

A Greco-Roman tunnel measuring 1,305 meters in length was discovered beneath Tapuziris Magna, an Ancient Egyptian city, by an Egyptian-Dominican...

A massive Rune stone found under a kitchen floor in Denmark declared treasure

8 June 2023

8 June 2023

A couple in Denmark discovered a massive rune stone weighing approximately 900 kilograms during a home renovation project that planned...

Europe’s oldest grave of a newborn girl found in İtaly

15 December 2021

15 December 2021

An international team of researchers has found Europe’s oldest tomb of a newborn girl, dating back 10,000 years, in Liguria....

Turkey Adds New Sites to UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

30 April 2021

30 April 2021

Two additional cultural objects have been added to Turkey’s World Heritage Tentative List, bringing the total number of cultural assets...

1650-Year-Old Earthen Grills Unearthed in Assos Excavations

14 August 2021

14 August 2021

Excavations continue in Assos Ancient City, a rich settlement of the period, which is located within the borders of Behramkale...

Poseidon’s Trident Discovered in Lake İznik

4 May 2025

4 May 2025

The depths of Lake İznik have yielded a discovery of profound significance, instantly captivating historians and archaeologists. The recent recovery...

In Poland’s “Death Valley,” new evidence of Nazi atrocities

18 August 2021

18 August 2021

In October 1939, between 30,000 and 35,000 Polish intellectuals, Polish civilians, Jews and Czechs, and German prisoners from psychiatric institutions...

Ancient necropolis of stillborn babies and very young children found in Auxerre, France

8 June 2024

8 June 2024

A team from INRAP, France’s national archaeology and preservation agency, unearthed a necropolis dedicated to stillborn and very young children...

New study investigates the development of the Scandinavian gene pool over the latest 2000 years

5 January 2023

5 January 2023

A new study resolves the complex relations between geography, ancestry, and gene flow in Scandinavia – encompassing the Roman Age,...

Symbol of Eternal Loyalty Found on Rare Medieval Sword in the Netherlands

14 June 2025

14 June 2025

A remarkable medieval sword, dating back nearly 1,000 years, has been discovered in the Dutch province of Utrecht bearing a...

Archaeologists Discover 40,000-Year-Old Evidence of Neanderthal Habitation in Ghamari Cave, Iran

13 March 2025

13 March 2025

Iranian archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery in Ghamari Cave (also known as Qamari Cave), located near Khorramabad in Lorestan...

Archaeologists uncovered a 3,500-year-old Egyptian Royal Retreat in the Sinai Desert

5 May 2024

5 May 2024

An Egyptian mission uncovered the ruins of a 3,500-year-old “royal fortified rest area” at the Tel Habwa archaeological site in...

Archaeological Finding Traces Chinese Tea Culture Back To 400 BC

7 February 2022

7 February 2022

An archaeological team from Shandong University, east China’s Shandong Province, has found the earliest known tea remains in the world...