Archaeological discovery in the ecuadorian Amazon makes historical revelations

The recent discovery in Zamora Chinchipe of vestiges of cocoa of the culture Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañon, of about 5.500 years old, realizes the existence of a pre-Columbian village in the jungle.

The archaeologist Francisco Valdez, who leads a scientific mission in the province of Zamora-Chinchipe, explains that this people was organized in a sophisticated way, and that they has trade connections with other cultures of the Andes and the Pacific coast.

According to Valdez, this project, which is being sponsored by the institutes of Cultural Heritage (NCPI) of Ecuador and Research for Development (IRD) of France, began in 2001, and was established, after conducting the test of carbon 14, that this culture lived  2.500 to 5.500 years ago.

However, it was in 2002 when the existence of this town was established in Santa Ana – La Florida, Palanda canton in the Zamora Chinchipe province, and it is believed that it extended to the current peruvian jungle up to the Marañon River.

Valdez added that this Amazon town had a relationship with the Valdivia culture, of the coast and 6.000 years old, and the vestiges found, indicate that their level of development was similar.

“The Mayo-Chinchipe-Marañon is the oldest culture of the western Amazon and presents features of social sophistication”, complex, where  forms of social jurisdictions existed, said the archaeologist.