MIKE RUGGERI’S THE ANCIENT AMERICAS BREAKING NEWS
BREAKING NEWS FROM MESOAMERICA, THE ANDEAN CULTURES, MISSISSIPPIAN CULTURES, ADENA AND HOPEWELL CULTURES, THE ANCIENT SOUTHWEST, THE PRE-CLOVIS AND CLOVIS CULTURES, ANCIENT CARIBBEAN AND AMAZONIAN CULTURES
December 3, 2007
Rare Maya Ulua Vessel Found at Honduras Site
An extremely rare Maya death vase has been found in a 1,400 year old elite burial in Honduras. Soil samples in and around the vessel found corn, cacao and ipecac for trances through physical purging. The team that found the vessel believe a stomach churning gruel was made for drinking from this vessel.
This is the first "Ulua" style vessel ever scientifically excavated and so now the purpose of these vessels is known. It was found in a terraced building with a single room on top.
National Geographic has the story here;
DECEMBER 7, 2007
Update on Muon Detectors at Teotihuacan and La Milpa, Belize
University of Texas at Austin researcher Roy Schwitters is constructing a muon detector to search for rooms under a pyramid at La Milpa, Belize, a Maya site of four cities of 20,000 population each only 8-12 kilometers apart and 60 towns, villages and hamlets in between. The muon detector will be ready for use in 2009. The muon detector that has been sitting under the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan has had some problems with cracked wires due to temperature changes. This problem should be fixed by January and shortly thereafter, we will finally hear the results of that probe.
Science News Online has the story here;
December 11, 2007
Stone Sphere Uncovered in Costa Rica
Another stone sphere has been found in Costa Rica believed to be from the Chiriqui period circa 800-1500 AD.
Costa Rica News has a short report here;
December 28, 2007
New Pyramid Excavated at Tlatelolco Changes Timeline for Aztec Settlement
An 800 year old pyramid has been found at Tlatelolco in Mexico City which was built between 1100-1200 CE thus proving the Aztecs began their occupation of the area much earlier than believed.
The archaeologists at the site have also found a sculpture of either Tlaloc or Tezcatlipoca and 5 human skulls and more rooms that could date to 1431 CE.
Reuters has the story here:
Kevin Vaughn with Nasca pottery fragment
February 6, 2008
Peruvian Mummies Head Lice DNA Extracted and Studied
Researchers report that mummified Peruvian mummies also had mummified head lice and DNA has been extracted from those head lice. The DNA shows the head lice goes all the way back to at least 15,000 years ago in the Americas. The story will appear in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Further tests may help show the exact location of the origin of the lice and the year the lice entered the Americas with people.
The International Herald Tribune has the story here;
February 11, 2008
The Beginning of Civilization in the Americas
Jonathan Haas has been working for the last 8 years on why people settled in the desert area of Norte Chico after he found sea shells there. He believes there was a climate change perhaps related to El Nino which pushed out the warm ocean clams and mussels that coastal people relied on and brought in cold water fish at 3000 BCE. Many fishermen moved inland to escape the unpredictable weather. A new trade system developed inland as the inland people traded cotton and squash to the remaining fishermen for shell fish and the new desert folks began to build the ancient cities and pyramids of Norte Chico including Caral.
Haas is taking sediment cores near the ocean and studying shell rings to try and verify his weather change hypothesis. This change and move inland to build the ancient cities of Norte Chico began the evolution of the Andean civilizations.
NPR has the radio program here and a slide show;
February 13, 2008
The Beringian Population and the New World
According to DNA studies carried out by the University of Florida Genetics Institute scientists of New World DNA, people from Asia moved into Beringia, the land mass that appeared connecting Siberia to Alaska when sea levels fell, but were blocked from entering the new World by two large glaciers. People lived for 20,000 years in Beringia until about 15,000 years ago when the glaciers melted and people could move from Beringia to the new world. Mutations and genetic patterns began to accumulate in the Beringia population during those 20,000 years that show up in most New World indigenous populations today. In the earlier article, it was revealed that the geneticists sampled DNA from thousands of present day indigenous people in 29 groups across Canada, Mexico, Central and South America to arrive at their conclusions. In the earlier article, it was mentioned that the study excludes Native Americans and Eastern Brazilians. The authors of the report promise to address genetic findings there later.
The theories of an arrival by people following a coastal route up to 40,000 years ago now have the challenge of finding countervailing DNA evidence to prove their case or compelling archaeological evidence that would prove the earlier arrival.
Science Daily has the story here;
February 14, 2008
An Update on the Earliest Murals in the Americas
The oldest known mural in the Americas was recently discovered at Cerro Ventarron in Peru. The mural depicts a deer snared in a net in a fire temple that held a ritual fire. The temple in which the murals were found are made of dried river sediment blocks. A conch shell trumpet, monkey remains, a parrot with a turquoise collar were also found in the temple representing sea, earth and sky, a theme followed by Andean civilizations centuries later.
Archaeology Magazine has the story here;
February 25, 2008
Maya Rulers May Not Have Been the Only Agents Building Temples in the Maya World
Archaeologist Lisa Lucero has been investigating at the Maya site of Yalbac in Belize. She now believes that Maya rulers were not the only people sponsoring and building Late Classic temples. Nobles, priests and commoners may have built temples. This may be why there are many temples in most centers. Temples were built by different agents to worship different gods and represent different parts of Maya society Lucero now believes.
Lucero’s latest findings are detailed in the journal Latin American Antiquity in an article titled “Classic Maya Temples, Politics, and the Voice of the People.”
Science Daily has the story here;
February 29, 2008
Maya May Have Induced Their Own Downfall
Researchers from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama working with new satellite data have found that self induced drought and climate change may have caused the fall of the Maya civilization. The reason may be the way in which the Maya encircled the bajos or seasonal wetlands alongside of slash and burn agriculture on a large scale. This induced local drought and caused warming which reduced rainfall.
National Geographic has the story here;
March 7, 2008
Real Linguistic Ties Between Siberia Language and New World Languages Finally Established
Linguistic experts in Washington State and Alaska have finally shown a real connection between a Siberian Language called Ket and New World languages of the Na-Dene language family which includes Athabascans Tlingit, Eyak, Navajo and Apache languages. This finding is based on complex and verifiable morphologies that can only be explained by common descent.
The researchers now call upon scientists of genetics and archaeology to study the Ket connection. Very few people in Siberia still speak the Ket language.
The Anchorage Daily News has the story here;
March 13, 2008
Bulk of the Americas Settled By One Siberian Group
A consensus is emerging that the bulk of the Americas were settled 15,000 years ago. An article in tomorrow's Science Magazine will show that the First Americans came from a single Siberian population and came across the land bridge 22,000 years ago, they got stuck in Alaska until 16,500 years ago due to glaciars blocking their path. The founding population was less than 5000 individuals.
The researchers studied 43 sites including a dozen in Asia to reach these conclusions. The founding population was in Siberia 30,000 years ago, came across 22,000 years ago and got free of the glaciar blocking them about 15,000 years ago so they could move south.
The Pacific corridor may have been ice free 1000 years before the inland corridor so that the population spread first by way of a coastal route.
National Geographic has the story here;
March 13, 2008
Incan Temple and New Inca Trail Addition Found Near Macchu Picchu
An Incan temple has been found in the Macchu Picchu area containing 11 rooms in the shape of a Chacana. Five years will be spent studying evidence of other buildings nearby.
Reuters has a picture and the short report here;
An additional part of the Inca Trail has also been uncovered as part of this excavation and it leads directly to Sacsayhuaman Fortress.
Living in Peru has that story here;
March 14, 2008
Largest Taino Site Controversy
Last fall, the Army Corps of Engineers found the largest Taino site ever in Puerto Rico while surveying for a dam. The site is called Jcana. Only 15% of the site has been excavated so far. The bas relief art is the most sophisticated ever found from the Taino culture. The site was inhabited from 700 CE-1500 CE. There is a controversy over whether the Taino originated in Puerto Rico as a culture or came from Central and South America. This site may settle that argument.
Archaeologists in Puerto Rico say the Army Corps of Engineers may have destroyed information due to their excavation work. The Army Corps of Engineers say they followed the protocol in their excavations. Now it must be determined who will continue the excavation work and how it will be done.
The Orlando Sentinel has the story and a film of the site here;
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-taino14x08mar14,0,5542569.story
