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Jacob L. Bongers, Tom Austen Brown Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Sydney

A centuries-old grid of holes in the Andes may have been a ‘spreadsheet’ for accounting and exchange

Andes US Navy Peru South America
An aerial photo of Monte Sierpe, facing northeast. Jacob L Bongers

In 1931, geologist Robert Shippee and US Navy Lieutenant George R. Johnson led one of the first aerial photography expeditions in South America. They captured stunning photographs of landscapes across the Andes, including some peculiar “pockmarks” in the Pisco Valley of southern Peru.

These “pockmarks” make up the mysterious archaeological site of Monte Sierpe. Stretching 1.5 kilometres and consisting of approximately 5,200 precisely aligned holes, Monte Sierpe translates as “serpent mountain” in Spanish, but the site is also known as the Band of Holes.

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